Playing With Fire
by Joy Blue
Summary: Alternate Universe Final fantasy 7. (One year after the end) *Finished* The end is only the beginning...
1. Default Chapter

"Playing with Fire"  
Alternate Universe Final Fantasy VII  
by: Joy  
  
Usual Disclaimers Apply  
  
AN: This is my first FF VII fanfic, I'm a bit of a Reno/Yuffie fan, as well as a Vincent/Yuffie fan, this however, would be a Reffie. This is a draft, characters OOC?  
I'll tweak it up a bit; I just wanted to send this out... Comments and such are appreciated, but please be nice!  
  
"Playing With Fire"  
Chapter 1  
  
  
Yuffie took a deep breath as she looked at wooden door. She raised her hand to knock, but shook he head and started to walk away, only to stop to walk back. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and hesitated  
  
"Do me a favor and just come in."  
  
Yuffie jumped in surprise, yet somehow she expected that he would've noticed her presence already. She opened the door and peeked inside and gave a nervous smile. "Hello,"  
  
Reno looked up from his paperwork and placed both hands behind his head. "Well, well. Look what we have here..."  
  
Yuffie scowled as she walked in the office and walked straight towards Reno. "I need your help."   
  
"Really?" Reno smirked. "Now, why would I want to help a member of AVALANCHE?"  
  
"Come of it Reno, the war's over. Didn't we call a truce?"  
  
"A temporary truce." Reno corrected.  
  
"Whatever. Listen, you're the only one I can turn to. You're my last resort."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Would I be here if I had any other choice?" Yuffie snapped at Reno, her temper slowly reaching it's boiling point.  
  
"Just what exactly is it that you want us to do?"  
  
Yuffie blinked for a while. "Well actually, it was just you that I was after."  
  
"Why Yuffie, I never knew..."  
  
"Shut up!" Yuffie turned slightly red. "That's not what I meant."  
  
"What exactly are you here for?"  
  
"I need you to be my fiancé."  
  
Reno laughed. "What?"  
  
Yuffie turned even redder. "You heard what I said! And don't get any ideas either! Like I said, you were the last resort!"  
  
"Your fiancé?"  
  
Reno continued to laugh, and Yuffie clenched her fists in anger as she continued to turn even redder. "Fine! I'll... I'll just ask some guy of the street!"  
  
Yuffie turned around and walked away, and Reno chuckled as he stood up and caught up with his former enemy.  
  
"Oh come on, ninja-chick..."  
  
Reno never got a chance to finish what he was saying when Yuffie threw a punch at him, which he easily avoided. "No wonder you can't get a guy the normal way..."  
  
Yuffie's eyes narrowed. "I can't believe I even considered you! YOU!" She screamed as she walked away from a still laughing Reno. /If only Vinnie was around, I wouldn't have to put up with this.!/  
  
She punched the elevator button and waited for the door to open when she sensed Reno standing behind her. "What?"  
  
"You're the one who came to me, sugar."   
  
"Shut up. I changed my mind." The elevator opened and Yuffie stepped inside, but before she could make a move to close the doors, Reno stepped in, and held the doors open.  
  
"Come on, you come to our office, asking me to become your fiancé, and now you're just going to walk away?"  
  
Yuffie glared at him. "Yes." She pressed the 'close' button, but Reno just pushed the doors back open again. "Reno, get off!"  
  
"What's the hurry? You gonna go look for a boy?"  
  
"Yes, now go away!"  
  
"Why?" He asked amused.   
  
"So I can leave you stupid jerk, gawd!"  
  
Reno chuckled again, and Yuffie blushed as she saw the slight sparkle of amusement in Reno's eyes, until she realized that he was laughing at her. "What the hell is so funny?"  
  
"Maybe I can help you, for a price of course."  
  
Yuffie looked at him and debated the pros and cons of using Reno. Still, she has less than a day to get a fiancé. She doubted that she could get a guy off the street to pose as go along with her story. Not to mention someone... confident, and cocky enough to get rid of an over persistent spoilt would-be suitor.  
  
"Come on, princess. Time is ticking, you're the one who came to me, remember?"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
Reno gave a mock bow. "So?" He asked stepping aside to let Yuffie passed. She sighed as she walked out of the elevator and back to the Turk's office followed by Reno.  
When they were inside, Reno closed the door and looked down at her. "So, what's this all about?"  
  
"I told you, I need you to act like my fiancé." She replied as she tried to cover her blush. "Cloud's a no go zone, Cid and Barrett are out of the question, so is Red. I'd ask Vincent but I can't reach him. So..."  
  
"So I'm the final straw?"  
  
Yuffie nodded. "I'll pay you, so don't worry. I just need you to come to Wutai with me for a week or two…"  
  
Reno calculated an amount in his head. /This should be fun! / "You haven't told me why you need a fiancé."  
  
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Godo has this thing about setting me up with this guy from some big company. This guy gives me the creeps. I told him I wasn't interested but he won't give up, I mean gawd! He's just freaky!"  
  
"More than Valentine?"  
  
Yuffie glared at Reno. "Vinnie's not freaky!"  
  
Reno raised one eyebrow. "Vinnie?"  
  
This time Yuffie blushed. "This isn't about Vincent..."  
  
"Now it's Vincent..."  
  
"Reno!" Yuffie snapped. "Are you going to listen or not?"  
  
"Okay... go on..."  
  
"So, this guy has it on his head that I'm going to marry him, something about uniting Wutai with their company... so basically when he proposed... I mean, he just went like... 'When you marry me blah, blah, blah..."  
  
"That doesn't sound like a proposal..."  
  
"I know! So when I told him 'no' he wanted a reason, I told him I wasn't interested, and he kept on asking question after question, so to sort of get rid of him, I said I had a fiancé... I told him it was a secret and all, but he ratted to Godo! Now, I have to show up with my fiancé or I get engaged to the spoilt jerk."  
  
"This is going to cost you, brat!"  
  
"How much?"  
  
Reno pretended to think for a moment. "A hundred thousand gil. Fifty now, fifty later."  
  
Yuffie's jaw dropped. "I don't have that kind of money! I only have sixty!"  
  
"Nice talking to you..."  
  
"Oh come on, Reno!"  
  
He sighed. /I do need a vacation...Wutai.../ "Okay, what about this, you give me forty now, and forty later. Take it or leave it."  
  
Yuffie covered her face in her hands. "Okay! Okay, but you can't call me brat, or pest, or ninja chick..."  
  
"I can live with that."  
  
"Good. Let's go, the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can get rid of that guy."  
  
"Hold on a sec, Where's my money?"  
  
Yuffie rolled here eyes as she handed him a bag. Reno opened it and counted the money inside, and looked at Yuffie. "You carried this much around you?"  
  
She shrugged. "I figured that if I can't find a guy in time, I'll use that money to go into hiding. Anything's better than getting married..."  
  
Reno snorted. "You got that right,"   
  
He handed the extra twenty to the girl. "Let's go, we'll sort out the details in the Highwind..."  
  
"The Highwind?"  
  
Yuffie nodded. "I kinda borrowed it from Cid." The smile she had told him another story.  
  
"Borrowed?"  
  
Her smile grew wider. "I asked Shera, she said Cid won't mind, and I'm sure he won't if he learned that she loaned me the plane."  
  
Reno shook his head as he dialled a number. "Hey, it's me. I'm taking time-out. Be in touch." He switched the phone off and looked at Yuffie. "What?"  
  
"You don't have a girl, do you? Because if you do, this whole thing..."  
  
He nudged the girl towards the door. "No, haven't got a girl. I just left a message to Rude.  
Besides, what do I need a girl for?" He asked as he moved his face near Yuffie, and gave a smile. "I've got you..."  
  
Yuffie blushed as she turned away. "Whatever, hurry up."  
  
"Gotta stop by my place and get my shit together."  
  
The two of them walked towards the elevator. "How far is it from here?"  
  
"Few blocks, don't worry sweetie, I won't keep you waiting!" He snickered as they walked inside the elevator. Yuffie fidgeted, standing to a man who was once their enemy.  
But as she said before, the war was over. Things change, people change. Everything changes. Reeve was now the new president of Shinra Inc, and has turned the company around, much too much displeasure of a few people. Once it played a part in the fallof Wutai, now it was playing a part in it's rise.   
  
The elevator door opened and Yuffie followed Reno to the main door. Yuffie rolled her eyes as Reno winked to a few ladies around the lobby, and grinned at Yuffie's expression.  
  
"Oh come on honey, I was just looking."  
  
Yuffie snorted. "Save it for Wutai."   
  
They walked in silence until Reno reached an impressive building. The doorman greeted Reno with a smile. "Hey Walters, meet my lovely fiancée, Yuffie. Honey, meet Walters."  
  
Walters the doorman clapped his hands in glee. "She looks lovely Mr. Mikagi. It was nice meeting you, Miss Yuffie."  
  
Yuffie could only smile as she thought about a hundred and one ways to make Reno suffer. "Say anything more and I'm going to kick your ass." She muttered under her breath.   
  
Reno just laughed. "Just getting into the mood, babe."  
  
/I made a mistake. I knew I made a mistake. I should've just ran off.../ Yuffie thought silently as Reno started whistling, She stared at their reflection on the metal door. It was more than a year since the defeat of Sepiroth, and many people were still rebuilding their lives from scratch. To her dismay, her height barely changed. Her physical assets, if she had any remained the same. All that looked different to her was her hair which was long enough to tie, but other than that...  
  
She glanced briefly at her so-called fiancé, and would've admitted that he was good looking if he wasn't such an asshole. He was clearly taller than her, her head barely reaching past his shoulders. His long red hair looked, well... it wasn't that bad actually,  
And his eyes, those eyes... She shook her head. /Wake up!/  
  
The elevator finally stopped, and Reno still hasn't stopped whistling as he took a card from his pocket. She followed him to the end of the hallway and Reno swiped the card on the slot, and opened the door. "Wait here." With that, he closed the door.  
  
"Jackass!" Yuffie muttered. She placed her hands on her hips and waited for Reno to come out, fortunately Reno came out a few minutes later.   
  
"What? You didn't think I'll let an AVALANCHE member in my home, do you?"  
  
Yuffie glared at Reno. "I'm inviting you to my home in Wutai! What the hell is your problem?"  
  
Reno shrugged as they walked back inside the elevator. "I don't trust you."  
  
She didn't know why, but his words hurt. "Then why did you agree to come?"  
  
"Hey, It's not like I'm doing you a favor. This is business, remember?"  
  
Yuffie didn't reply, and the trip to the Highwind was short, and silent.  
  
TBC 


	2. Chapter2

Usual Disclaimers Apply.  
Thanks for the comments!   
  
"Playing With Fire"  
  
  
Reno looked at his traveling companion in slight amusement. She looked as if she was going to be sick...correction, she was. He chuckled as the girl groaned when the Highwind began landing. "Come on sugar, just a little more."  
  
Yuffie ignored Reno as she closed her eyes and prayed for the whole thing to be over.  
Soon enough, the Highwind came to a halt, and she was home. Wutai.... /I'm never going to live this one down... never..../  
  
"You ready?"   
  
She looked up at Reno, the idiot with a smirk on his face and almost vomited. She heard Reno make a sound of disgust, which she ignored.   
  
Reno sighed as he looked down on the girl who survived a meeting with Sepiroth. She just stayed in her seat, still looking sick. /Is this thing really worth eighty thousand gil?/  
She hasn't changed much, still the same chick with the legs. Hell, it looked as if she was going to stay in that height and in that body for the rest of her life. His thoughts were interrupted as Yuffie stood up. She didn't say a word but just motioned for him to follow.  
When the door opened, Reno looked around in surprise. /Wutai has an official landing strip?/  
  
Yuffie saw the look of surprise in his eyes as they began to walk, Wutai was beginning to prosper, and if Godo made all the right decisions, their land would rise back to it's former glory before the war. She felt proud at what her people have accomplished, and how they've worked hard, and while they didn't trust the presence of Reeve a year back, they trusted the fact that she, Lady Kisaragi trusted him. As they continued walking through the town, there were excited whispers among the crowd as they saw their Lady's companion. Reno looked in amusement as the people bowed before Yuffie, which she answered with a bright smile, and a wave.   
  
Wutai was a hell lot better than before. He admired the newly built building, the architecture in the classic Wutai style. The place definitely has potential, but it doesn't seem to want to loose its image. Children were laughing, running around in circles, and the local market seemed to be filled with tourists and locals alike. A big smile formed in his face when he saw the many women that passed by. Yuffie just rolled her eyes and elbowed Reno.  
  
"Now's the time to pull that fiancé crap."  
  
He smirked as he took his shades off. "Jealous, honey?"  
  
The young ninja glared at Reno. "Don't let this get into your head. Remember, it wasn't as if you were my first choice."  
  
He nodded. "I know, I know... I was your only choice..."  
  
"You weren't listening. You were my 'last' choice. I wouldv'e asked Vinnie, but that guy's gone into hiding. I've contacted him with the PHS but no reply. I don't have enough time to look for him if I didn't know where to go. If I was positive about where he was..."  
  
"But your not sure?"  
  
She shook her head. "I called the others to see if they've talked to him or something, and Red said he mentioned something about wandering around for a while..."  
  
Reno just shrugged and they continued walking. "How long till we get there?"  
  
"Not long. You'll be staying in the guest villa. You'll sort of have the place all to your self."  
  
"Sort of?"  
  
Yuffie grinned. "You have to share it with someone, but I'm sure you won't mind."  
  
"Who?"  
  
She looked up at him and gave a sly smile. "Secret! Come on, it's just around the corner!" Yuffie didn't wait for him and started walking faster. He shook his head, thinking if he did make the right decision, but hell, who knows? He needed a vacation anyway.   
  
"So, tell me about this other guy?" He asked as Yuffie entered a small alley. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.   
  
"His name's Alec Kittani, comes from an old clan that left Wutai years ago, He's probably as old as you, he's what... 24 or 25 I think. He's actually trying to compete with Shinra, but with Reeve, they have no chance... which is why he probably wants this marriage." She explained as they went inside a building. She walked up the stairs as she continued. "They've been trying to experiment with mako reactors, which is another reason why I don't like that asshole, I mean hello, I was in AVALANCHE! I helped in the destruction of those stupid reactors!"  
  
"I know, I was there." Reno muttered dryly.  
  
Yuffie ignored him as she opened a door with her key and stepped inside. "Their company is called Kitani Corporation. Not only are they attempting to experiment with the reactors, he's also into business corporations and such..."  
  
Reno glanced around the room. It wasn't like his apartment, but he wasn't about to complain either. "Maybe you just need to give this guy a chance...  
  
"One, he wants to fiddle with those reactors, which you very well know I disagree with. Two, he already gave me a brief list of what he actually expects of me when I marry him, and that includes getting stuck inside the house playing good wife, hell no! Number three,  
he has made it known to me that he thinks the time that I spent with AVALANCHE was a waste of time, and last but not the least, he never, not once said anything about loving me."  
  
Reno walked towards the window and admired the view. "You can see the palace from here. We uh... I have to... to present you to Godo tonight,"  
  
He took out a cigarette, which Yuffie quickly intercepted. "No smoking."  
  
Reno took back the cigarette, and because of their height difference, managed to light it up, much to Yuffie's annoyance. "See the garden path? That will take you directly to the palace grounds. Someone will meet you to take you inside."  
  
He nodded as he exhaled, and Yuffie suddenly felt awkward. "Anyway, I have to go.  
Dinner at seven, dress nice and I'll see you soon."  
  
Reno watched as she walked away. "Hey, you gonna tell your daddy I'm a Turk?"  
  
"That's what you are, right? Why? You want me to say something else?"  
  
"No. He might have a problem with his little girl engaged to a Turk."  
  
Yuffie shrugged. "His problem, not mine. Vinnie was a Turk and he's a good guy now, besides... you're one of the good guys now, right?" She didn't wait for a reply as she walked out of his temporary home.   
  
"You're too naive for your own good, pest..." Reno said softly before throwing the cigarette away.  
  
***  
Yuffie looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. /Reno's a professional, for eighty thousand gil, he'd better do this right!/  
  
She decided to stick with a simple black dress that Tifa picked up for her when they were shopping. After complaining to her friend that she's got nothing to wear for all those official functions that she has to attend, Tifa helped her out. The dress was long, and backless, and a little of shoulder. It was either this or the other black dress that shouldn't have bothered with a skirt because of the length of the side split. This one however was what Yuffie wanted. Plain, and simple. There was no point with the other type of dresses that would show off one's assets, as Yuffie had already accepted, that she had none.  
  
She took her glance way from the mirror when she heard a knock on her door.   
"Showtime!"  
  
She smiled as Ayami; one of the family servants greeted her. "You look really beautiful tonight, Lady. He's perfect for you!"  
  
The two of them walked to the visitor's hall where she would meet Reno. "He's here?"  
  
Ayami nodded. "Your father's there too. Seems he can't wait to see this secret man you've hidden for so long!"  
  
Yuffie tried to smile. /I am going to die!/.  
  
She walked alone as Ayami bowed and walked to her quarters. She could hear voices, Reno, and her father. She stopped behind one of the marble pillars and never noticed that she held her breath when she saw Reno. Wearing a black suit, he looked immaculate, with his red hair tied neatly behind the nape of his neck. There was no sign of his sunglasses, and yet even from afar, she could detect the nightstick safely hidden in his jacket. His tall frame was relaxed, and yet alert at the same time, and he was talking with ease, while her father still regarded him with suspicion. Closing her eyes, she smoothed her hair, which was tied half up, decorated with a simple white flower, to contrast with her black dress.  
  
Reno turned around and saw Yuffie walking towards them. /About time, wondered how long she was going to hide.../ He was unprepared to see the girl he once considered as an enemy walking gracefully towards him, there was nothing special about the dress she was wearing, and yet...   
  
"Yuffie, I hope you don't mind, I was telling Keno..."  
  
"Reno." Yuffie and Reno corrected him at the same time.  
  
Lord Godo cleared his throat. "Yes, Reno. I was just telling him about the party Alec Kitani has thrown on the Golden Arches..."  
  
"I didn't know about that."  
  
He nodded. "Well yes, you left before he could invite you." He stopped as he looked at Yuffie, then at Reno. "He told me you met when you were with AVALANCHE?"  
  
He looked with slight disapproval before turning away. "Very well, we will talk about this later. Alec is waiting."  
  
Yuffie waited until her father was far away enough before they followed. "What did you talk about?"  
  
Reno shrugged. "He wanted to know what a man like me could offer you."  
  
Yuffie stopped in her tracks. "What?"  
  
Reno continued walking and Yuffie followed him. "What did you tell him?"  
  
This time, Reno stopped as he looked at her. She stared at his face, which was devoid of any emotion, and she could do nothing, but just to stare at his scars, which only made his clear aquamarine eyes more beautiful. "I told him that I could give you anything you ask for."  
  
"You did?"  
  
Her voice was no more than a whisper, and Reno found himself enjoying the look of bewilderment on those gray eyes. He stepped closer, his hand reaching out to Yuffie to hold her when Godo's loud voice interrupted them.  
  
"Are you to coming or not?"  
  
They stepped away from each other, and Yuffie walked away, only to stop to turn back at Reno. "He shouldn't have asked you that."  
  
"He's your father. Every father asks that."  
  
They walked out together and saw Godo, sitting inside the open carriage. "This is going to be a long night."  
  
Reno took Yuffie's hands, and pulled her gently to make her walk faster. "You survived Sepiroth, you'll survive this."  
  
Almost two hours later, Reno regretted his words. Fighting Sepiroth, Cloud and the rest of his rag-tag team would be better than this. There was nothing but pretentious air, fake kisses here and there, boring talks of gowns and opera. He welcomed the admiring glances of the women, but stayed close to Yuffie, who was greeting people congratulating them on their engagement, commenting on what a lovely couple they make. It took him less than a minute to completely dislike Alec Kitani. If anything, besides the money he was going to get, it was worth seeing the look of anger, and jealousy on his face every time his hands wrapped around Yuffie's waist. Whatever Yuffie said before, he could recognize lust from another man's eyes, and he could see it in Alec every time he looked at Yuffie, god knows why he could feel that way over the flat-chested materia-hunter.   
  
"Your father doesn't like me."  
  
Yuffie nodded. "That's another reason why I wanted Vinnie. He'd probably scare Godo off..."  
  
Reno chuckled. "You can get Valentine to attend this?"  
  
"Well, I'm pretty sure he won't flirt with every woman that passes by,"  
  
His hands returned to her waist as he bent down, his breath tickling her neck. She made a move to move away, but he held her tighter. "That wasn't flirting, sugar. You haven't seen me in action."   
  
Yuffie turned and looked at him, their faces inches apart. She tried to speak up, to think of an insult to throw back at him but found none. She fidgeted.  
  
"You can't just... touch me like this."  
  
To her dismay, her heart began beating wildly as Reno moved his face closer to her. "How do you think engaged people hold each other then?"  
  
She was saved from replying when they heard a familiar, and shocked voice.   
  
"Oh God..."  
  
They turned around and Yuffie moved from Reno's grasp, only to be shocked as Reno walked behind her and enveloped her in an embrace. "Hello, Reeve."  
  
"I mean, I heard that you brought your fiancé here, but I had no idea... what's going on?"  
  
Before Reno or Yuffie could reply, Godo and Alec Kitani walked towards them. "Ah, President Reeve, there you are..."  
  
Reno stepped away from Yuffie and shook hands with a still stunned Reeve. "Thanks for the congratulations, man."  
  
"You know the President of Shinra Inc.?" Alec asked surprised.  
  
"We go way back, don't we?"  
  
Reeve nodded, as he looked the couple. Godo saw the confused look on his face and explained. "My daughter has been keeping secrets from me. It would seem that she has been engaged to this... man here almost a year ago..."  
  
Reno acted sheepish. "Well, you know how it was like back then. Rufus wouldn't have been to happy if he found out about Yuffie and me, and you know how Spike is..."  
  
Yuffie prayed that Reeve would believe the story, or at least go along with it.  
  
"I... I never knew, I never suspected..."  
  
Alec looked suspicious. "Why did you your engagement a secret?"  
  
Reno smiled as he held Yuffie's hand, and once again enjoyed the look on Alec's face.  
"Well, you know about the whole Montague and Capulet issue right? Well what we have was an AVALANCHE and Turk issue. Even with the war over, we're not sure how our friends would take it. Just take a look at Reeve."  
  
"Who else knows about this?" Reeve asked, still in shock.  
  
"You're the first one to know, buddy!"   
  
Reeve looked at Yuffie, who looked as if she was on the Highwind, and back at Reno. He smiled at the girl and gave her a hug. "Wow! I never, I never suspected that you two..."  
  
"Well, Reeve... now that you know, wane be my best man?"  
  
Yuffie wanted to die as Godo and Alec looked at Reno and Reeve. "How's Caith Sith?"  
  
"He's fine, Yuffie. Reno... I'd be glad too! How did this whole thing start?"  
  
"Yes, I'd like to know that too," Godo said as he observed the whole scenario.  
  
A loud music interrupted their conversation, and all five of them tried to look for the source of the noise when Reeve noticed the slight irritation on Alec's face.  
  
"If you would excuse me gentlemen, Yuffie..."   
  
Godo watched the young man walk away, probably looking for the source of the problem. Before he could say anything, an old friend of his captured his attention.  
Yuffie could only sigh in relief as her father walked away.  
  
"So, when did this whole thing start?" He asked again.  
  
"Nothing started. I hired Reno to act like my fiancé to get rid of Alec." She whispered.  
"You have to play along!"  
  
Reno didn't know if it was his imagination, but Reeve actually looked disappointed.   
"You hired?"  
  
The girl nodded. "I'm sure Vinnie would do it for free, but I don't know where he is."  
She replied. "Listen, I'm gonna go home now, this place is getting to crowded. She hugged Reeve. "Nice to see you, and thank you for what you're doing for Wutai."  
  
Reeve smiled. "The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Mikagi.  
  
Yuffie stuck her tongue out at Reeve before walking away.  
  
"You have a lot of explaining to do," Reeve said to Reno as they watched Yuffie walk away.  
  
"Is there a bar around here?"  
  
Reeve chuckled. "My hotel's not far from here, you can get your drinks there. The last thing we need is to see the fiancé of Lady Kisaragi ass drunk and in another woman's arms..."  
  
A few hours later, Reno was still sober, despite the five bottles of beer he had already consumed. "Gotta ask you something."  
  
"What's that?" Reeve asked before drinking his third beer.  
  
"You know everything Caith Sith knows, right?"   
  
Reeve nodded. "Yeah, why?"  
  
"Was there anything between the brat and Valentine?"  
  
Reeve finished his beer, and tried to remember. "No, don't think so, she hanged around him more than the others, I think..." The president of Shinra Inc. watched as Reno reached for another beer and opened it. "Why?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
Reeve decided not to push the issue further. "Eighty thousand gil, huh?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"You should consider cutting that cost. She is a friend, you know."  
  
Reno shook his head. "She may be your friend, but she's my client. A paying one..."  
  
"You noticed that your pictures were taken, right?"  
  
"So?"  
  
Reeve shrugged. "So you know that before the week ends, you'd be known as the fiance of the next head of Wutai..."  
  
"So?"  
  
"What are you going to tell Rude and Elena?"  
  
Reno stopped drinking and placed the bottle down. "Shit." 


	3. Chapter3

Thank you for everyone that gave comments! Much appreciated!   
Here's the third chapter, to all Reffie fans out there!  
  
Usual Disclaimers Apply  
  
Playing With Fire  
Ch 3  
  
Reno walked back to his place, declining Reeve's invitation to stay at the hotel. He looked out of the window and observed the Kisaragi home from his window, admiring the well-kept garden. He took out a cigarette, and let his mind drift to his conversation with Reeve...  
  
"So, how's Wutai treating you?"  
  
Reeve shrugged. "Getting better. The first two weeks was filled with hostility. Many people aren't exactly the forgive and forget type. There are still others here who don't trust Shinra completely, but because Yuffie..."  
  
"Ordered them to?"  
  
Reeve shook his head. "No, she just started hanging out with me, introducing me to the people as her 'friend' and explaining to them that I was their 'friend' as well. After that, people left us alone..."  
  
Reno looked impressed. "Really? Never knew the brat had it in her."  
  
"We never knew Yuffie besides being a materia-hunter. She has a lot of influence over the people of Wutai. Why do you think Alec Kitani is hot on his heels to impress her?"  
Reeve looked with interest at the scowl on Reno's face.  
  
"What d'ya mean?"  
  
"It means that even with Godo backing him up, the people of Wutai will stick with Shinra Inc despite the past, if only because of Yuffie. Kitani Corp has been trying to weasel their way in Wutai, something that Yuffie and her dad had argued about. If Kitani gets Yuffie's approval, then Shinra Inc is finished."  
  
Reno took another sip of his beer. "Do you trust Kitani, as a business rival?"  
  
"No. You'd be better with your back turned against Cid or Barret."  
  
"What do you know about Kitani?"  
  
Reeve shrugged. "Not enough, I don't think he's a potential competitor, His company is new, and thriving..."  
  
"I'm going to get Rude and Elena on this guy."  
  
"You have a gut feeling?"  
  
Reno nodded. "You should know better, Reeve. The moment this guy showed up his ass on Shinra territory, you should've told me. I could've collected the dirt on this asshole by now."  
  
"Wutai is no longer Shinra territory."  
  
Reno snorted. "Sorry, didn't mean it that way."  
  
Reeve drummed his fingers on the table and looked at Reno. "For a moment back there, I actually wished that the two of you were engaged."  
  
"Are you crazy?" Reno cried out before chuckling. "Man, you need a vacation. You're getting warped."  
  
"Well, anyway it's good that you're around. It would be safer for Yuffie that way."  
Reeve didn't fail to notice how Reno's grip on the bottle tightened. "The last time I spoke with Yuffie, she told me that Kitani was starting to get on her nerves. If it was only possible, she would have already kicked his ass, those I believe, were her exact words."  
  
"How does Godo feel about this?"  
  
"Reluctant to let Shinra in Wutai, but that's understandable. Yuffie compromised with her father that she's not going to disappear on him without prior notice if he let Shinra work in Wutai. He agreed. I think he probably wants Kitani in Wutai, but the elders discouraged having two companies. Like I said, we're only here because of Yuffie."  
  
"She's got that much influence, eh?"  
  
Reeve lightly whacked Reno on the head. "Don't get any ideas."  
  
Reno smiled innocently. "Who, me?"  
  
Reno's reminiscing was cut off when his eyes caught on a movement behind him. He carefully took out his nightstick, and prepared to be attacked.  
  
"Reno?"  
  
He turned around to see Yuffie wearing on oversized sweater and jogging pants. "We have a problem."  
  
"We?"  
  
"Okay, I have a problem. Alec formally asked Godo for my hand in marriage, and that jerk agreed."  
  
"So..."  
  
Yuffie looked at him. "So? So we need to find a way out of that! I'm not gonna pay you eighty thousand gil just to be stuck with that guy in the end! Eeewww, grossness!"  
  
"Bastard still proposed after our show, eh?"  
  
She blew the bangs from her forehead in a huff. "I know, stupid jerk..."  
  
"Well, since we're talking about problems, Reeve presented one issue..."  
  
Yuffie leaned against the window. "What?"  
  
"Exactly how many people are we going to let in this secret? Elena isn't exactly Miss Confidentiality."  
  
"I see." Yuffie bit her lip. "How exactly did we get together?"  
  
Reno looked surprised at the change of topic.   
  
"If we're not going to tell the others, we have to get our story straight..."  
  
The Turk shrugged. "Fair enough... Don Corneo good enough for you?"  
  
Yuffie shuddered. "That would be the first time..."  
  
"The first time we noticed each other, back at Da-Chao."  
  
The ninja nodded. "Okay, and then?"  
  
"This is your story, you make it up."  
  
"How should I know? You're the expert when it comes to this stuff..."  
  
Reno looked at her in slight amusement. "What, never had a boy before?"  
  
Yuffie's red face was all the answer that he needed. "For your information, I was too busy looking for materia to be bothered by a boy."  
  
"Ah yes, your endless quest for materia."  
  
"My quest has ended than you very much. I have enough materia with me to use for my experiments... eep..." Yuffie covered her mouth with her hands when she realized what she has just said. Reno looked at the girl curiously.  
  
He walked closer to her as Yuffie made a move towards the door. "Nothing, nothing important."  
  
Reno maneuvered his body in front of her, blocking the door. "Experimenting?"  
  
She tilted her head up to look at him straight in the eye. "So?"  
  
"And you're all high and mighty about the mako experiments."  
  
Yuffie scowled at the older man in front of her. "I don't hurt anyone with my experiments, and what I do, I do to protect my people. Wutai will never be vulnerable again."  
  
"I see, and just what exactly do you do?" He asked as he walked closer to Yuffie, who walked backwards to keep some distance between them.  
  
"I'm not telling you anything." She replied, somehow she can't seem to take her eyes of his. "It's between me and my materia." She suddenly stopped when she realized she had her back against a wall, moving quickly, she circled around Reno before she could get trapped. "I have to go back..."  
  
"Leaving so soon?"  
  
"I have official engagements to attend to." She replied as she opened the door. She turned around and looked at him and gave a cunning smile. "You should come, meet the people."  
  
Reno raised one eyebrow. "Excuse me?"  
  
"You heard me, meet the people of Wutai. I'm going to the orphanage tomorrow, well actually later today. I visit the orphanage every week."  
  
"What do you do, teach the ways of the materia?"  
  
Yuffie frowned. "No. I meet with the people running the orphanage, see if they need anything, see the progress of the projects we've done, and I spend time with the children."  
  
Reno let out a whistle. "You? The same brat who stole from AVALANCHE?"  
  
"Hey! I did it for..."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know. You did it for your people." He replied with a mocking tone. "Are you really serious about this shit?"  
  
"Of course I am!" Yuffie snapped at Reno her face darkening. "Listen, I just thought that you'd like to go and see.... see something. You don't have to go."  
  
"What time?"  
  
Yuffie blinked at his question.  
  
"What time do we go?"  
  
"At ten. We're going to have lunch there. Just meet me down at the gardens..."  
  
Reno nodded. "See ya. Lock the door when you leave."  
  
With that, he walked to the bedroom leaving Yuffie with a confused reaction. She took a deep breath and walked out of the room, locking it before leaving.   
  
A few hours later, Yuffie waited for Reno to come. She raised her face to the sky and enjoyed the sun's warmth, not knowing that she was being watched.  
  
"Yuffie."  
  
She turned around and gave a polite smile. "Hello, Alec."  
  
"I was wondering if I could invite you for lunch."  
  
"I actually have plans already. I'm going to visit the orphanage with Reno."  
  
Alec gave an insincere smile. "Ah, the mysterious fiancé. The Turk."  
  
Yuffie nodded. "Yes, he's a Turk." She suddenly felt uncomfortable when he turned his violet eyes on her. She examined him, mentally comparing him to Reno. They were probably the same height, but it seemed that Alec had more muscles than Reno, his short brown hair a big contrast to Reno's fiery red; and while Alec's face was clear, Reno's face was a physical testament on his past. "What's wrong with that?"  
  
"He's an assassin, is he not?"  
  
Yuffie turned away from him, silently cursing Reno for being late. "I'm no different."  
  
"Your time with AVALANCHE, I presume?"  
  
This time, Yuffie turned to face him again, she tilted her chin up. "Yes."  
  
To her surprise, Alec chuckled. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "What's so funny?"  
  
"You trust people too much, Yuffie. First you let Shinra back..."  
  
"Reeve is a friend. He's nothing like Rufus Shinra. I trust him with my life, as well as with Wutai."  
  
Alec's face darkened "And you don't trust my company?"  
  
"How can I?" She asked him. "You're one of the few who can't just accept to let the mako reactors go. I will not allow a single reactor in Wutai!"  
  
He angrily walked up to her, and Yuffie's hands started twitching for her conformer. "I can give everything to Wutai that Shinra can!"  
  
"I'm sorry Alec. But I will not allow a reactor to be activated here in Wutai, not anywhere on the planet."  
  
"How noble of you, and quite hypocritical. To sleep with the enemy."  
  
Yuffie slapped Alec. Hard. "The Turks are no longer our enemy."  
  
He grabbed her wrists and puller her closer to him. "But didn't you say that the two of you saw each other behind your comrade's back? What will your friends think?"  
  
She tried to break free, but Alec just tightened his hold on her. "They'll understand."  
  
"What can this assassin give you? Lady Kisaragi, next head of Wutai. What can he give you?"  
  
"Everything I could ever ask for." She replied, as she broke free from his grasp. "What exactly is your problem? If you have no more business here, I suggest you leave. Shinra will stay at Wutai."  
  
"Yuffie! Think! You will rule Wutai when the time comes, and what will you present to your people? What kind of man will you present?"  
  
"Get out, Alec. You've overstayed your welcome." Yuffie replied angrily, her temper reaching its boiling point.  
  
"I believe you've heard my fiancée."  
  
Both Alec and Yuffie turned to see Reno twirling the nightstick in his fingers. He walked to where they were and slid his arms around Yuffie's waist, again enjoying the expression on Alec's face. "Ready, Yuffie?"  
  
She smiled genuinely at him as she nodded. "Ready."  
  
Reno threw a smirk at Alec as they walked out of the gardens, arms still around Yuffie's waist.   
  
Back in the garden, Alec's face was twisted in fury as he took out his phone and dialed a number. "Get whatever you can on Reno Mikagi, I want a full report tonight!"  
  
**  
  
Yuffie began to feel better now that Reno was with her. She moved away from his hold, but took his hands with hers. "Let's go, the children are waiting."  
  
Reno allowed Yuffie to lead him, not really caring that she was holding his hand. Everywhere they turn, he received a warm smile as the people of Wutai greeted their Lady's fiancé. For a moment, his expression darkened as memories of his childhood came back. He was never received like this, never looked at with awe or respect.  
  
"Reno. We're here." Yuffie whispered as they entered a building that looked like a temple.   
  
"This was an old temple. After meteor, Godo had a new one reconstructed just near Da-Chao. We just decided to keep this up as an orphanage." She explained, almost as if she read his thoughts.  
  
Sound of joyous screams filled the air as dozens of children ran up to meet them. Yuffie chuckled as she let go of his hand and scooped the youngest one of the ground. He cringed as the children asked one question after the other, not waiting for Yuffie to answer any of their questions. He would never believe what was going on if he didn't see  
it with his own eyes. Perhaps the brat wasn't a brat anymore. He kept his distance until he felt a faint tug in his denim pants.   
  
"You're cute." The little girl remarked and Reno grinned as he knelt down to look at the girl. "Are you gonna marry Lady Yuffie?"  
  
"Maybe." He replied in a whisper.  
  
She nodded her head. "You should." She said giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before running away. His hands flew to his cheeks and his eyes turned to Yuffie who was looking at him with slight amusement. The children now saw him, and half the kids surrounding Yuffie rushed to him, asking him questions after questions. He could hear Yuffie laughed, and he glanced at her. She looked different with a child in her arms, laughing. Even from a distance, he could see her eyes sparkling with amusement, and for that moment, he missed the warmth of her hand that held his just a while ago.   
  
His attention returned to the children, just as one of them shouted, "I wanna see them kiss!"  
  
Yuffie blushed, as chants of 'kiss' were getting louder. Reno gave a grin as he felt the children pushing him towards Yuffie. She gave him a dark look, almost as a warning, which he ignored. The children squealed in delight as Reno took Yuffie's hands and kissed it gently.   
  
She blushed even harder as he gave that smile of his, and felt her knees grow weaker.  
/Stop it! This is all pretend, remember that!/ And yet, surrounded by delightful cheers, she couldn't understand why, but for that moment, she wished everything was real. 


	4. Chapter4

Here's chapter 4, Usual Disclaimers Apply.  
  
Once again, thanks to all the comments! *mwah* Reno/Yuffie rocks!  
The drunk Yuffie scene is dedicated to Tini. We all know what for, ne?  
I wonder if I have cranberry juice around...  
  
  
"Playing With Fire"  
Chapter 4  
  
Yuffie hummed to herself as she brushed her shoulder-length hair, and looked outside her window. Her day with the children and Reno was surprisingly enjoyable, and she was quite surprised as well to see Reno interact well with the children. She never expected him to get along with the children that well. A blush crept to her cheeks as she remembered his kiss. She shook her head, and banished any romantic thoughts in her head.   
  
/Get a grip! He's a pretend fiancé, it will never work out.!/  
  
A loud knock interrupted her thoughts and she walked towards the door to open it.  
"Godo?"  
  
Her father nodded grimly as he walked inside her room. "Have you... considered Alec's proposal?"  
  
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "I'm engaged."  
  
"To a man with a false name." Godo stated as he handed an envelope to her. "Read that. Alec was kind enough to check..."  
  
"I don't believe this! I don't need to read any of this!"  
  
Godo sighed. "Do you know exactly who he is? What kind of a man lives with a false name?"  
  
"It's part of his job."  
  
"Do you even know his real name?"  
  
"Yes." Yuffie lied as she handed the envelope to her father. "I don't need to read that shit."  
  
Her father's expression darkened. "That man will not serve Wutai well."  
  
"And Alec can?" Yuffie asked. "I fought with AVALANCHE to shut those reactors down! You have no idea what we went through! And Alec wants to have them re-activated! How can that do good for Wutai?"  
  
"He can protect Wutai!"  
  
"From what?" Yuffie asked. "Shinra is no longer a threat to Wutai. Even if there is a threat, I can protect Wutai. AVALANCHE will come if I ask them to."   
  
  
Lord Godo Kisaragi massaged his temples with his hands. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"  
  
"I got that from you!" Yuffie retorted.   
  
Her father looked at her. "I know," He replied softly. "I just don't believe that this... this Reno is right for you."  
  
"He's not perfect Godo, neither am I."  
  
He nodded. "You may be engage to him, but he has not yet received my blessing. Under our law, your engagement will not be recognized."  
  
Yuffie opened her mouth to protest, but Godo held up one hand to silence her. "I will however, give him a chance. If I am not convinced that he will be good for you, he will be escorted out of Wutai, and never be allowed in again."  
  
"What?" Yuffie cried out. "That's ridiculous!"  
  
"It's the law."  
  
Yuffie's good mood completely evaporated. "Why can't you just accept that I'm never going to marry that Alec!"  
  
"You may be the future ruler of Wutai. But as long as I am the Lord of this land, it is my word that will be followed. Goodnight."  
  
With that, her father walked out of the room, leaving Yuffie completely annoyed. "That jerk! And to think I actually thought we were going to have a nice father-daughter talk..."  
She replayed his words in her head, and Alec's words came rushing back at her. She can't keep this from Tifa. What if they think that she was a traitor? What if they get mad at her? She bit her lip. What if Vincent...  
  
Yuffie walked back to her window and gazed outside, wondering where Vincent was. Out of everybody in AVALANCHE, it was Vincent that intrigued her most. She gasped as she saw a shooting star, and she closed her eyes, and made a wish.   
  
"You're not wishing on that, are you?"  
  
Her eyes opened and she looked in shock as a pair of heavenly blue eyes looked up at her. "What the hell are you doing?" She hissed. She just stared at Reno, who smirked as he scaled the wall and jumped in her room. "Times like this I wish I lived in the upper floors."  
  
"You should tell your boy Alec that his spies are all worthless scum." He drawled as he looked at his former enemy. "I could smell them a mile away."  
  
"Is that all?"  
  
He shrugged. "Actually, I thought I'd give his spies something to spy on." He replied, his eyes twinkling mischievously.   
  
Yuffie felt her heart beat wildly as he gave that smile again. It was enough to make her blush, but the plot that he was hatching sounded too good to refuse.  
  
"What do you have in mind?"  
  
His smile grew wider, and Yuffie felt herself melt. /Why the hell is this happening to me? What the hell is going on?/  
  
"Well, why don't you and me go to that club, think it's called Cave..."  
  
Yuffie nodded. She recognized the name. "Just outside of Wutai. I've heard about it. We can't just walk there."  
  
"Don't you have a car?"  
  
She shrugged. "Don't need one. Anywhere I need to go, I can reach by foot. I like walking."  
  
"Lucky that I've arranged something then. Hurry up and get dressed, I'm itching to make that Kitani bastard mad."  
  
She nodded as she walked to her closet and pulled something out. "Turn around."  
  
Reno smirked as he did, only to turn around again and saw Yuffie's silhouette undressing. For the first time that he can remember, he blushed and looked away, only to sneak a peek as Yuffie changed her outfit, admiring the curves he never knew she had. He gave himself a mental shake before turning away. "You ready?"  
  
"Yep. So, how do I look?"  
  
He turned around and let out a wolf whistle, earning a blush as Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him. "Where the hell did you get that?"  
  
"Tifa." She replied as she suddenly felt uncomfortable. The sleeveless 'metallic' thing as Yuffie called it twinkled against the fluorescent light. The reddish hue somehow complemented her black leather pants. "So, how do I look?" She asked again.  
  
"Looking fine, brat." He replied, and he was quite surprised to realize that he told the truth.  
  
"I'll just get my shoes." She told him as she walked towards a cabinet, and he couldn't help but admire the way she moved.   
  
/Hmph. Must've been that wine, It's still early and I'm already wasted./  
  
"So, let's go?" Yuffie asked trying to hide her excitement. She had never been inside an actual club before, that and she'd be able to annoy that bastard Alec.  
  
"Where's your make-up?" He asked as he positioned himself against the window, preparing to go down.   
  
Yuffie tucked her hair behind her ears, deciding to let it down for the night. "I don't wear that crap."  
  
Reno grinned. "Don't wear, or don't know how?"  
  
"Shut up and go down."  
  
He chuckled as he went outside and carefully scaled down. He saw Yuffie turn around before positioning herself on the window, and jumped down. "Not bad."  
  
She smiled. "I'm a trained ninja. That's nothing."  
  
He ignored her boast as he held out his hand. "Ready?"  
  
"Ready."  
  
  
The music was so loud, Yuffie swore her head was pounding, and there was so much smoke! Whether it was from people smoking or from special effects, she couldn't tell.  
  
"Reno," Yuffie called out, but her so-called fiancé was getting into the mood. She pulled his hand and called his name louder. "RENO!"  
  
He turned around and looked at Yuffie, the usual confident manner gone. "What?"  
  
"It's too loud!" Yuffie replied in a shout.   
  
"You'll get used to it, c'mon." He said as he pulled her towards the dance floor. Yuffie saw where they were headed and pulled him back.  
  
"I can't dance!"  
  
Reno turned around. "What?"  
  
"I can't dance!"  
  
He shrugged. "Neither can half these people." He tugged her hand again, and soon, they were in the dance floor, along with dozens of other people. He saw her look around in an uncertainty, and he saw a part of her that was still a child. "Hey, I'm on a job here. I'm not going to let anything happen to my fiancée. So relax."  
  
Yuffie nodded and gave a nervous smile as she saw the people around her, and blushed at the more open display of affections other couples were giving each other. Reno chuckled as he held Yuffie around the waist. "Just move to the music. Don't worry."  
  
She nodded and looked down the floor to avoid looking at Reno, who she heard, despite the loud music snickered. "Not like that, look up." He took her hand and placed it on his chest, and drew her close. "Move your hips," Reno instructed as she followed his footsteps. "There you go, not hard, eh?"  
  
She gave a grin as she grew confident every minute. Soon enough, Yuffie was declining invitations to dance, and those who caught Reno's glare didn't bother. /Brat sure can move./ He muttered as he glared at another man going their way, who took the hint and turned around.   
  
Yuffie let the music 'get to her', as Reno put it. She felt flattered and embarrassed with all the attention she was getting, but she knew with Reno around, she didn't have to worry about anything. She turned her attention back at him, admiring the way he moved. Who would've thought that Reno, current head of the Turks could be so damn sexy on the dance floor?. Yuffie shuddered at the thought. /Get a grip! / She chided herself mentally for the hundredth time that day. /This is all for show. Remember?/ She silently chanted on her head as she looked around. Her face brightened when she saw the bar.  
  
"I'm thirsty!"  
  
Reno nodded as he took her hand, and made their way through the crowd. "One vodka, on the rocks..."  
  
"Water."  
  
The bartender nodded his head as he fixed their drinks. "Water?"  
  
Yuffie turned red. "I don't drink alcohol."  
  
"C'mon, it's not like I'm going to ambush you when you're wasted."  
  
She bit her lip and looked at Reno. /What have I got to loose?/ "What do you suggest?"  
  
Reno grinned and ordered another vodka.  
  
Half an hour later, two vodkas and one tequila, and they were back dancing, and Reno regretted suggesting alcohol to the girl. She was now slightly out of control, and it was harder to keep Yuffie from drawing attention to herself. It seems that half the male population in the club now had their eye on the drunken ninja, who was dancing too seductively, even for him. He gritted his teeth as one guy in particular suddenly cut in front of him and made a move to hold Yuffie.  
  
"That's my girl, get lost." Reno muttered as he threw the guy off Yuffie, who just smiled at him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "That's it. We're going."  
  
Yuffie pouted. "I want to dance."  
  
"There's always tomorrow." He replied as he began dragging the girl, away. "Touch her and die." He casually warned another club patron whose hands were dangerously close to Yuffie's body. He heard Yuffie giggle as she ran her fingers over his chest. "Stop that."  
  
Yuffie just giggled as she looked up at him. "You're sexy."  
  
"I know." Reno replied as they walked out of the club. He picked her up and she squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck. He managed to place her inside the rented car, and was about to go around the other side when he found himself surrounded. "Can I help you?"  
  
One of the men snickered. "Just wanted to know if we can take your car and the girl for a ride."  
  
Reno shrugged. "Sure, but you have to kill me first." He replied, taking the nightstick out of from his back pocket and activating it.  
  
The group laughed. "We wouldn't have it any other way, mister!"  
  
Three minutes later, Reno whistled as he stepped inside of the car and drove off, leaving five men knocked unconscious. It didn't take him long to get back in Wutai, and he looked at Yuffie, who was now sleeping, and a smirk formed on his face. /I'm gonna have to see the brat's hangover. She's going to be feeling like shit!/ He suddenly thought with glee, anticipating the teasing he was going to give her. He also suddenly realized that it's going to be difficult to return Yuffie back to her room. Her room may not be that high, but he couldn't risk scaling the walls with Yuffie. She still hasn't paid him in full, after all. The only thing left was...  
  
The smirk became bigger. "Well, we're going to be giving Alec something to bitch about, aren't we?" 


	5. Chapter5

Usual disclaimers apply  
AN: I was supposed to make Elena a bit more hostile, but after reading Magnum Opus' Dawn and Legacy fics (which I'm still waiting for!), I just can't! I simply can't!  
  
"Playing With Fire"  
Chapter 5  
  
  
Yuffie watched Reno from afar, standing at the edge of the garden, looking at something far away. She had never seen this look on Reno before. She had seen him cocky, annoyed; she had seen him trying to be charming and completely drunk, as well as sober. But she has never seen this look of contentment. Even the sloppy way he wore his suit didn't destroy the aura of peace he was projecting.  
  
"He's going to make you cry, you know." A voice said softly behind her. She gasped as she turned around and saw a woman, with long brown hair falling gently behind her, bright gray eyes twinkling. "But then again, you'll make him cry too."  
  
"Mother?"  
  
Lady Misao Kisaragi smiled as she held out her arms, and welcomed her daughter in her embrace. "My darling daughter..." Yuffie looked up at her, not quite believing what she was seeing. "Yes, you are dreaming."   
  
Yuffie's face darkened as she turned back to the Turk. "What's he doing in my dream then?"  
  
A faint laugh surrounded her as she turned back to her mother who was smiling. "You tell me, why has he been in your mind?"  
  
"He is so not!" Yuffie protested in annoyance. "Grossness!"  
  
Misao Kisaragi smiled gently as she brushed Yuffie's hair with her fingers. "I'm very proud of you, Yuffie. You're everything I could ever want you to be."  
  
Yuffie blushed. "Really?"  
  
Misao nodded her expression turning serious as she gazed at Reno. "No matter what happens, Yuffie, trust him. His friends are trustworthy as well."  
  
Yuffie looked up at her mother. "The Turks?"  
  
"His friends and yours will help you when the time comes, and show that man, and only that man what you have learnt." Misao replied, her voice and image disappearing.   
  
"Wait, mother! Don't go!"  
  
"I love you, Yuffie."  
  
Yuffie reached out trying to hold on. "Mother! I love you, don't leave me!"  
  
A soft chuckle, then a faint kiss on Yuffie's cheek. "I never left."  
  
Yuffie opened her eyes and groaned. /Mother.../  
  
She felt herself drifting back to sleep when a loud noise brought her back. She opened her eyes, and was greeted by a pair of blue eyes. "Go away."  
  
Reno chuckled as he sat on the bed. "Good morning. I was thinking of going to the market today. Maybe to buy some souvenirs for Rude and Elena. What do you think?"  
He asked, intentionally making his voice louder.  
  
"Good for you." Came the muffled reply. "I need to sleep."  
  
Reno grinned as he pulled the covers away and Yuffie pulled it back up. "I need a tour guide."  
  
"Ask Shake.."  
  
Reno laid down beside Yuffie and looked at her. "Wake up, Yuffie."  
  
"My head hurts like hell."  
  
She heard Reno sigh. "Is that all you're going to say after what we did last night?"  
Reno asked softly. "Was it good for you as it was for me?"  
  
Almost immediately, Yuffie's eyes were wide open, and she moved away from him, only to fall down the bed. She could hear Reno laughing as the world started to spin around her. She stood up, and noticed that she was still wearing her clothes. She glared at Reno who looked at her with a smirk.  
  
"What?"  
  
Reno was rewarded with the look of pure irritation on Yuffie's face, and he felt a sense of deja vu as Yuffie swayed and leaned on the wall for support. "You know where the bathroom is!"   
  
Yuffie was about to reply when a loud knock interrupted her. Reno winked at her as he walked out of the bedroom, and as she slowly felt her stomach turning, she ran to the bathroom.  
  
Reno whistled as he opened the door, and smiled at his visitors. "Well, did you get the information I asked for?"  
  
Elena practically threw the envelope in his hands as she walked inside, followed by Rude. "Tell me this is a joke!"   
  
"What's a joke?"  
  
Rude closed the door as Elena stared at Reno. "Your engagement to Yuffie? You've been going out behind our backs?!"  
  
"Maybe." Reno replied as he read the contents of the envelope, getting pleased every minute. A loud flush, and Yuffie walked out of the bathroom, and she looked in surprise as she saw Rude and Elena. "Honey, look who came for a visit."  
  
Yuffie never got a chance to say anything, as her hands flew to cover her mouth as she ran back to the bathroom. Reno chuckled. "Is this how it's going to be every morning?"  
  
Elena stared at Reno, then back to the bathroom door. "You knocked her up?" She looked at him in complete disbelief. "You..." Elena jumped as someone banged on the door.   
  
"Open up! This is the Captain of the Royal Guard of Wutai."  
  
Rude looked at Reno who nodded his head. Rude opened the door, and immediately, five men walked inside, all dressed in Wutain army uniforms. "Where is Lady Kisaragi?"  
  
Reno pointed at the bathroom door.   
  
The captain, dressed in a more elaborate uniform glared at Reno. He walked to the bathroom and knocked. "Lady Kisaragi, are you alright?"  
  
The door opened and Yuffie peeked out and nodded. "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Your father was worried about you. When Ayami called you for breakfast, you did not reply."  
  
Yuffie smiled, her face pale. "Thank..." Yuffie never got a chance to finish as she turned away to vomit. The Captain looked at Reno. "What have you done to her?"  
  
"Nothing. We just had a few drinks last night..."  
  
The Captain glared at Reno. "As her fiancé, you should have known better. Lady Kisaragi has a very low tolerance when it comes to alcohol."  
  
"I never told him." A voice called out softly. "It's alright Captain Tasheki. I'm fine."  
All at once, the stern expression disappeared from the Captain's face.   
  
"Shall I alert Ayami to fix a remedy for you?"  
  
"Yes, please."  
  
The Captain nodded. He pointed at one of the guards. "Relay the message..." The guard nodded and bowed. Captain Tasheki turned back to the door. "Will you be ready soon, Lady?"  
  
"I... I'll return by myself. Thank you, Captain."  
  
The Captain bowed, even if Yuffie would not be able to see his gesture. He started walking out before turning to face Reno. "I'll trust Lady Kisaragi to you then."  
  
Reno gave a mock salute as the soldiers left. Elena looked stunned. "That was Yuffie?  
She doesn't sound like so much of a brat anymore."  
  
"I heard that!"  
  
Reno cleared his throat. "Listen Elena, you stay here with Yuffie. There are just some things I need to run by Rude." Elena opened her mouth to protest but Reno and Rude ignored her and walked out.  
  
Elena scowled as Yuffie walked out of the bathroom, still looking sick.  
"Hello, Elena."  
  
The blond Turk watched as Yuffie made her way to the couch to lie down. "Yuffie."  
  
The ninja closed her eyes. "I feel sick."  
  
"How long?"  
  
"How long what?" Yuffie asked back.  
  
Elena walked closer to the girl. "Are you pregnant? You shouldn't drink when you're pregnant."  
  
Yuffie fell to the floor as she gazed at Elena. "I'm not pregnant! Gawd!"  
  
Elena just continued to stare at the girl who was cursing Reno under her breath. She looked as Yuffie picked herself up and sat down again. Yuffie stared at her for a while before looking away. "Don't worry. He never went behind your back, this is just some thing I made up."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Yuffie stood up again. "Tell you later. Can you come with me? I don't think I can make it alone."  
  
"Why did you let that guard go then? He would've helped you."  
  
She nodded. "He's worse than my father. He'll never let me out of his sight until I turn thirty."  
  
She slowly walked towards the door and motioned for Elena to follow. "I'm not going to kill you,"  
  
"How do you know that I won't kill you?" Elena asked. "You're going to trust a Turk with your ass?"  
  
"Yes. My mother told me too. C'mon. I need a bath; you can have breakfast at home."  
  
Elena blinked and followed, not knowing what to reply.  
  
The two of them walked through the garden, and Elena observed the young girl walking next to her. She still looked the same, despite the longer hair, and yet there doesn't seem to be any trace of the materia-stealing girl she met over a year ago. Yuffie looked up at her, and laughed as if she heard her thoughts.  
  
"Just because I'm not going to kill you doesn't mean I'm not gonna take your materia if I have the chance!"  
  
Elena's hand flew immediately to where she hid her materia, and Yuffie looked in delight. "You've changed."  
  
"Me? Nah, I'm still the same Yuffie."  
  
Ten minutes later, Elena wondered how she came to the conclusion that Yuffie has matured as she whined to an older woman.  
  
"I hate that stuff!"  
  
The old woman nodded. "Yes, I know it's gross, Lady Kisaragi. But if you don't drink this right this minute you're going to get some serious spanking."  
  
Yuffie looked at the older woman with pleading eyes. "But I'm fine now, really."  
  
"Don't you give me that look, young lady. Drink!"  
  
"Ayami..." Yuffie protested making a face at the glass she was holding.  
  
"Yuffie Kisaragi, you will drink this medicine right this minute!" The old woman commanded. Yuffie pouted as she took the drink, and drank it in one gulp. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"  
  
Yuffie's face was filled with disgust. "Ewwwww...."  
  
"Grossness. Yes I know." Ayami finished as she walked towards Elena. "What would you like for breakfast?"  
  
Elena blinked. "Excuse me?"  
  
"You'll be joining Lady Kisaragi for breakfast, right?" Ayami asked before turning back to Yuffie. "You'd better start on that bath of yours! It's not polite to keep guests waiting."  
  
Yuffie scowled as she walked to her bathroom, and Ayami turned again to Elena. "So, what will you be having for breakfast?"  
  
"I'll have whatever Yuffie's having, I guess."  
  
The old woman smiled. "It's good that you came to visit. Lady Yuffie's been feeling alone." Ayami said with a smile. "That boy's gonna be good for her!"  
  
Elena just looked at the old woman. "Reno?"  
  
Ayami even beamed brighter. "Ah yes, that's his name. Handsome young man..." The smile faltered. "She hasn't been the same since she came back." The old woman confided.  
"Were you with her during that... that meteor incident?"  
  
"You could say that." Elena replied slowly.  
  
She patted Elena on the arms. "It's good that a friend of hers have come to visit. She has done nothing but work with all the materia she has collected. Lethvian knows that she has done enough for her people."  
  
"Oh." Elena replied, not really knowing what to say. She just didn't have the heart to tell her that Yuffie wasn't her friend, and that in fact, they weren't even on the same side.  
  
The old woman smiled as again. "Well then, I hope you enjoy your stay here. I'll have breakfast ready."  
  
Elena just stared at the old woman as she left Yuffie's room. She took that chance to look around, and found it a bit amusing about the contrasts in Yuffie's room. Her bed, her bedside tables and cabinets were obviously antique, the bed covers in the finest silk, and covered with one big teddy bear that seemed just out of place. There was no 'femenine' objects lying around, and on the left side of the wall, Yuffie's weapons were proudly on display.   
  
She was surprised at the various books she found on the shelves, but then again, what did she know about Yuffie? A small smile formed on her face as she walked towards the bed and took the blue bear, with a bright red ribbon around the neck. Childhood. Something that she was denied of, something almost everyone she knew was deprived of.  
  
"Vincent gave that to me. I call it Vinnie."  
  
Elena turned around to look at Yuffie. "Valentine?"  
  
"Yep. I kinda forced him to go to the fair with me before... before Aeris died" Yuffie replied softly forcing a smile. "He won that for me in one of those things where you have to shoot this little ducks..."  
  
"No explanations needed." Elena replied as she placed the bear down the bed. "Are you going to tell me what this is all about?"  
  
Yuffie nodded. "I hired Reno to be my fiancé."  
  
"Hired?"  
  
The younger girl nodded again. "I kinda needed to get this guy off my back. Still hasn't given up though."  
  
"Maybe he really likes you, if he's still pursuing you."  
  
Yuffie snorted. "He's interested only in what he can get from me. He's trying to start where the old Shinra ended."  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence between them when Yuffie looked up. "Ready for breakfast?"  
  
"I suppose." She replied as Yuffie stood up. "Is the guy Alec Kitani?"  
  
Yuffie nodded as they walked out of the room and looked around the hall. "How did you know? Reno told you?" She asked in a hush whisper.  
  
"He had me check on that guy." Elena whispered back. "I'm surprised you didn't check for yourself."  
  
Yuffie waved her hands dismissing the matter. "I had more important things to do."  
She stopped as they saw a man waiting on the balcony where breakfast was going to be served. Elena observed the guy, who she recognized immediately, walking with barely controlled anger towards them.  
  
"You spent the night with him, didn't you?"  
  
"Yes." Yuffie replied as she stepped around the man who grabbed her arm. "I'm about to have breakfast with a friend."  
  
Alec sneered as he looked at Elena. "Another Turk, I suppose?"  
  
"And you would be?" Elena asked, pretending ignorance.  
  
"Alec Kitani. President of Kitani Corporation."  
  
Yuffie rolled her eyes as she shook off Alec's hold on her. "Is there anything I can do for you?"  
  
"I'm not just going to go away, Yuffie Kisaragi." Alec replied softly, throwing a glare at Elena before walking away. Elena's hand flew to where her gun was as she looked around her.   
  
"Don't worry about him, c'mon."  
  
"You should take him more seriously. Don't leave yourself unarmed around him."  
  
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "I can take him on. Let's eat." The two of them sat, and Yuffie rubbed her hands in glee at the breakfast in front of her.   
  
"You can eat all that?" Elena asked as she stared at the fruits and the pastries that Yuffie started piling at her plate. Yuffie nodded with a smile as she made a gesture for her to eat. Elena settled on a piece of croissant and started with her own breakfast.   
  
"How long will you be staying here?" Yuffie asked after drinking her orange juice.   
  
"Until Reno wants us." She replied before daintily wiping her mouth with the napkin.  
  
"You can stay here, there's a vacant room next to mine. It used to be where my toys were."  
  
Elena looked at Yuffie. "You're inviting me to stay next to your room, where I have every possibility of sneaking in to kill you?"  
  
Yuffie nodded, almost to brightly for Elena's liking. "What are you up to? What do you plan with Reno?"  
  
"Nothing, I told you, I just wanted to get that jerk off my back."  
  
"And you just happen to ask Reno of all people?" She asked suspiciously.  
  
"He was my last resort. Can't ask Cloud. Cid and Barret are out of the question. Nanaki and Cait Sith aren't even humans, Reeve's too busy, you're with Rude..."  
  
Elena chocked on her juice. "Excuse me?"  
  
Yuffie blinked. "Aren't you? I saw you a few months back in Rocket Town and the two of you looked... you know..."  
  
Elena tried not to blush, as she replied, "No I don't know."  
  
"Oh, okay." Yuffie just said as she resumed to her reasons why she chose Reno. "As I was saying there was no one available. I couldn't reach Vinnie, I don't even know where he is." She muttered and Elena looked at her with interest. "So, there was no one left but Reno." She finished before giving Elena a wide grin. "I have to admit, he's good for the job!"  
  
Elena drank her juice again, already knowing about Reno's dislike for the guy. No doubt he was making an ass of himself, taunting Alec Kitani by flirting with Yuffie. "So, where's your mother?"  
  
"My mother? She died just before the war."  
  
"I thought you said that she told you that you can trust us."  
  
Yuffie nodded as she picked up another croissant. "She did, she told me last night in my dream." Yuffie replied as she took a bite of the bread, and Elena just stared at the girl that was once her enemy.   
  
Not knowing what else to say, Elena settled on drinking her juice, the two enjoying the comfortable silence that they shared.   
  
~TbC~  
Ah yes, I dedicate this chapter to Magnum Opus, who as I have said earlier made me change my mind about a hostile Elena. Arrrgghhh! See what your lovely fics have done to my head? ^__^ v  
  
By next chapter, or the one after that I'll give my reason why Yuffie acts the way she does. Hopefully, the hints that I've put up looks like hints. I'm pretty slow getting clues that are right in front of my face, so I', not sure how bad I would be in giving them!  
  
Thanks to everyone who has commented on this fic so far! 


	6. chapter6

Playing With Fire  
Chapter 6  
  
  
Rude didn't say anything but just stared at Reno, who was too busy reading the reports.  
"Exactly what do you want those for?" Rude finally asked.  
  
"We need to know exactly who we're dealing with." Reno replied, not looking at Rude. "You didn't think I asked you to come here for a vacation, now did you?"  
  
The bald man looked at his surroundings, and briefly admired the beauty of Wutai. He looked at Reno, dressed in blue denim pants, and a surprisingly ironed shirt. Reno looked up at him and grinned. "Laundry service."  
  
Rude didn't comment, but waited for Reno to finish reading the report.   
  
"I want you and Elena to check out the new Shinra building and all their employees. Keep a close eyes on Kitani and his people as well."  
  
"Including the three having drinks at the cafe?"  
  
Reno didn't bother to turn around. "Yep. That Kitani needs to hire better people."  
  
"Is that all?"   
  
"Pretty much. I've talked to Reeve already. Kitani Corp has been trying to get their business set up here, but they're not getting lucky. I just want to make sure cat-boy won't be, shall we say get in trouble?"  
  
Rude nodded. "And Yuffie?"  
  
"What about her?" Reno asked as he placed the report back inside the envelope. "I know you don't believe what you've heard."  
  
"How does she fit into all this?"  
  
"She doesn't. I'm getting paid to get Kitani off her back." Reno replied as he noticed Rude staring at him. "What?"  
  
"Nothing." Rude replied as he continued to look at Reno.  
  
"Don't give me that look, man."  
  
"You've slept with her?"  
  
Reno chuckled. "What has got to do with anything?"  
  
"Have you slept with her?" Rude asked again and Reno shook his head as he took out a cigarette.  
  
"Hell no. You know she's not my type. Besides, you know me better. I never mix business with pleasure."  
  
A small smile formed on Rude's lips, knowing how untrue that statement was. "Where's Reeve now?"  
  
"Midgar, but he'll be back soon for this festival." Reno replied, "We'd better head back to the villa. Elena's gonna be pissed."  
  
Rude just nodded, and the two of them walked away, talking about mundane things. When they reached Reno's, they stiffened at the opened door. Elena would know better than this...  
  
Reno took his nightstick out, and went inside the place. He looked around, nothing seems to be out of place, he motioned for Rude to follow, gun already drawn out. Reno stopped as he heard a strange noise from the other bedroom. He motioned for Rude to stay where he was as he approached the bedroom, reaching the closed door, he kicked it with all his strength, and a loud indescribable noise filled the air.  
  
"Damn it you stupid mog! Shut the #@& up!" Reno shouted as he covered his ears.  
  
Rude closed his eyes as he lowered his weapon. Cait Sith emerged from the room with a huge smile. "Hello!"  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Cait Sith sniffed in annoyance. "Hello to you, too. Yuffie invited me for the festival."  
  
"Reeve, come on. We don't need the two of you!" Reno muttered as Reeve's mechanical creation walked to the living room.  
  
"Come on Reno, we get to be roomies!"  
  
"Hell no!"  
  
Caith grinned. "Hell yeah! Yuffie told me that you'd be bunking with me."  
  
"She told you what? Where is that brat, anyway? Have you seen Elena?"  
  
"That's not a good term to use on your fiancée!" Caith said teasingly as Reno glared at him. "I don't know where they are though."  
  
Reno turned and gazed at the palace from his window. "Must be in there, "  
  
"Is Elena safe?" Rude asked as he followed Reno's gaze. Reno nodded.   
  
"The brat's not going to pull anything, and even if she did, Elena's perfectly capable of taking care of herself."  
  
Cait Sith suddenly grinned. "Hey Reno, when's the wedding?"  
  
Reno turned to give Cait Sith a predatory glare as he adjusted a setting on his nightstick. "How long ago where you fixed?"  
  
The mechanical cat looked at Reno and winked. "Awwww, come on Reno! No need to keep it from me!"   
  
Reno slowly advanced towards Cait Sith with an almost malicious grin when Rude's PHS rang.   
  
"Elena?" There was a few second of silence as Rude listened. "Okay."  
  
"What's that all about?"  
  
Rude gave Reno a pat on the back. "Congratulations. You're going to be a father."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Seems that some of the guards that were in here jumped slightly to the conclusion that   
their Lady Kisaragi is indeed pregnant. Yuffie just found out that almost the whole town knows."  
  
"No shit?" Reno asked as his gazed turned to the palace with a grin. "Wonder how the mother to be is taking it?"  
  
Rude followed his gaze. "And you?"  
  
"Hey man, I'm out of here after next week. That was the deal. Two weeks."  
  
  
Inside Lord Godo's office:  
  
"Gawd! How many times do I have to say it? IT'S NOT TRUE!"  
  
Elena, who didn't even know why she stayed, listened outside the door as Yuffie shouted at her father.  
  
"I thought you were responsible!" Her father angrily shouted.   
  
"Aren't you even listening to me?" Yuffie cried out. "I'm not pregnant!"  
  
Godo turned away from his daughter as he raked his hands through his hair. "You were seen by the Royal Guards..."  
  
"Throwing up!" Yuffie finished. "Just because I was throwing up doesn't mean I'm pregnant, how could you even think that?"  
  
Godo glared at Yuffie. "You spent the night at his house..."  
  
"Because it was too late to come home!" Yuffie replied, her voice getting hoarse from all the shouting.   
  
"How am I supposed to know what you were doing?"  
  
Yuffie's mouth dropped open. "I can't believe I'm hearing this!"  
  
"You leave for almost a whole year... you come back here and then tell me you've been keeping this man a secret from me. What else have you been hiding?"  
  
"I left for Wutai!" Yuffie shot back, tears of frustration dangerously close. "I didn't leave to go on a vacation, I left to get materia, and I did! I came back with everything I could get for Wutai."  
  
There were a few moments of silence. "And this man, this Turk? He worked for Shinra!"  
  
"Shinra's dead! They don't work for Shinra anymore, and even if they still did, Reeve will never attack Wutai!"  
  
Godo paced around the room. "How do you know that? How can you be sure?"  
  
"Reeve's nothing like Shinra..."  
  
"Then why keep the name? You know what kind of pain that name inflicts upon people?"  
  
Yuffie screamed in slight anger. "I can't believe we're still talking about this."  
  
"Do you know about the stories that have been going on? Do you? Do you think it's easy for a father to hear that his daughter has been sleeping around?"  
  
"And you listen? You know it's not true!" Yuffie cried out as she looked at her father who just stared at her.   
  
"Do I?" He asked softly.  
  
Yuffie reached breaking point as she trembled, desperately trying to hold the tears back. "I can't believe I'm hearing this from you! You're supposed to be my father!"  
  
"And you're supposed to be my daughter! But you... you never listen to me. You do everything your own way, you don't think about the consequences of your actions, how can you rule Wutai if you don't think!" Godo cried out, his own voice mirroring his frustration. "How can you do any good for Wutai..."  
  
"Look around you!" Yuffie screamed. "Open your eyes and look! I've given everything I can for Wutai..."  
  
Godo shook his head. "And you think it's enough? How can you give everything for Wutai if you're being selfish?"  
  
"Selfish?"  
  
"THINK, YUFFIE!" Godo shouted. "The man you choose to marry will hold power over Wutai, you know that. How can that man serve Wutai?"  
  
"That man has a name and it's Reno!" Yuffie yelled. "This is all about Alec isn't it?"  
  
"He's the one who can bring Wutai back!"  
  
"We can never bring the old Wutai back!" Yuffie snapped at her father. "Can't you see? We can't bring it back; all we can do is make it as well as we can. And how can a man who wants to reactivate those reactors be good for Wutai? Have you thought about that?  
Have you?"  
  
Another complete silence, as father and daughter kept their emotions in check. "I fought once to shut those reactors down, and I will do it again."  
  
"Yuffie..."  
  
"You know I will."  
  
Godo sighed as he looked at his daughter. "Alec is the best choice for you."  
  
"I don't love him."  
  
"Love has nothing to do with it."  
  
Yuffie blinked, comprehending his words. "What?"  
  
"Being part of a Royal Family contains many responsibilities, commitments... you think, you rule with your head. Never with your heart."  
  
"You... are you saying that you never loved my mother?" Yuffie asked, her voice rising in anger and disbelief. "You never loved my mother?"  
  
"I didn't say that!" Godo snapped at Yuffie, offended. "I cared for your mother, deeply. Yes, I may not have been in love with her when we married, but I grew to love her. Give Alec a chance..."  
  
Yuffie buried her face in her hands. "I don't want to hear that name again! I'm not marrying Alec! Godo, listen to me! There is nothing you can do or say that will change my mind!"  
  
"And I will never allow you to marry that man!" Godo cried out in anger, and Yuffie almost flinched, unused to seeing her father completely angry. "You have your responsibility as the next ruler of Wutai..."  
  
"Don't talk to me about responsibility! I know my duties to Wutai and it never said anywhere that I have to marry a man that you choose!" Yuffie yelled, matching her father's anger with her own. "You're a fine one to talk, you were responsible for Wutai then and look what..."  
  
Yuffie never had a chance to finish as she felt her head snap from the slap. Outside, Elena almost jumped at the sound. She strained her ears as she tried to listen.   
  
Godo looked at his hands in shock, back to his daughter, hand covering a cheek that would surely bruise, and the tears that she was holding back broke free as Yuffie ran away from him. He could only stare as his daughter practically broke the door open, and her blond companion looking in shock as Yuffie ran away.  
  
"Yuffie, Yuffie... wait!" The blond called out, also disappearing from his sight. Godo looked back at his hand in shame as he slowly walked towards the door and closed it.   
  
He replayed their argument in his head, and he cringed. He only wanted what was best for her. Perhaps, what hurt most was that he didn't know what was best for her, and that she probably doesn't need him. She was strong, and independent. He was ashamed to admit that Yuffie has done so much for Wutai on her own than he ever did at her age. He was always hiding behind rules and policy, under the guidance of the elders and the opinion of the people. Lord Godo sighed as he turned his attention to a portrait of a woman, dressed in the finest Wutain robes. He may be the ruler of Wutai, the elders and the rest of the council have pledged their loyalty to him, but it was Yuffie that was in the hearts of the people. He wasn't blind, he wasn't deaf. He wasn't ignorant to the fact that his daughter left Wutai to look for materia to rebuild the city when the elders have suggested otherwise. It was Yuffie that defied hundreds of years of customs to leave the safety of the palace walls to seek the materia that will help in rebuilding Wutai. It was his daughter that risked her life to be a part of a group that saved the planet. It was Yuffie that experienced sorrow and pain through battles and death.   
  
He was a thinker, always thinking of his actions, the possible outcomes. Yuffie was the complete opposite, barely thinking and always acting out on her instincts. It was Yuffie who went to the people, helping them to rebuild their homes and their lives. She was a childish brat who never listened to advice and did everything she wanted, and at the same time, she was a young woman, already capable of gathering loyalty from her people. She was everything that he was not, and he was proud of her.  
  
If only he could tell her that.  
  
~TbC~  
  
Okay... how was that? I'll try to update as often as possible, but I just found out last night that I got a job! Wai!! Just wanted to share my happiness with all of you, today... thanks for all your comments, and I'm trying to work in Vincent, he'll show up, soon! ^__^  
  
There's also been a lot of suggestion to killAlec... hehehe, patience my friends! 


	7. Chapter7

Usual Disclaimers Apply.  
  
Since this is an AU fic, I took liberties in changing a thing or two in the 'history' of the Wuatai-Shinra war. ^__^   
  
  
Chapter 7  
"Playing with Fire"  
  
Tifa Lockheart hummed a happy tune as she cleaned her bar, excited at the thought of going to Wutai for the festival. God knew that she needed a break. It's been over a year since...   
  
She shook her head. It was strange to refer to someone in the past tense, especially when someone close to you has a little bit of trouble in letting go. She forced her mind to drift to Yuffie, the other female member of AVALANCHE. Keeping in touch with Yuffie, as well as the others were difficult, all busy in rebuilding what they can, and helping in their own area. Her last contact with Yuffie was almost a week ago, confirming that she and Cloud were coming, and asking for Vincent's whereabouts. She thought that the young ninja sounded frustrated, and a bit tired, but Yuffie seemed so distracted it was hard to get a straight answer from her.   
  
"Tifa, please tell me you never knew about this!"  
  
She turned around and looked in surprise at the shocked expression on Cloud Strife's face as he handed her a news article. She scanned the paper and her eyes grew wide as she found the reason for Cloud's reaction. "Oh my god,"  
  
Somewhere not that really that far away, a weary pilot sat in a diner, contemplating either to accept or decline an invitation from a certain ninja when he decided the read three days old paper that was stashed between the wall and the chair. He drank his tea, and promptly spat it out as a certain article caught his eye. The other patrons inside the diner could still hear the string of profanities the pilot let out even when he was already outside at the parking lot. There was an explanation for everything, and Cid Highwind will be damned if he didn't get one for this.  
  
In another place, the mayor's office to be exact, Barret Wallace half listened to his secretary as he droned on and on about little diplomatic issues that usually included either a good luck card, a congratulation note, and all other mundane things until a certain name caught his attention.  
  
"Say that again?"  
  
The secretary blinked as he looked at his notes. "I was saying that I already sent flowers to Lady Yuffie Kisaragi of Wutai, for her engagement. Which reminds me that you still haven't accepted or declined her personal invitation for the festival."  
  
"The brat, engaged?" Barret snorted. /Who would've thought?/  
  
"Uhh, sir... If I may, referring to the next head of Wutai as brat may not be advisable for trade reasons..."  
  
Mayor Wallace ignored his secretary as he scratched his chin with his good arm. "And what kind of fool is she marrying?"  
  
The secretary scanned the report again. "Some guy named Reno Mikagi, not of Wutainese descent in fact..."  
  
He never got a chance to finish his sentence as Barret practically leaped out of his chair. "WHAT?"  
  
The secretary was last seen running out of the office, thankful not to be the receiving end of the mayor's wrath.  
  
Back in Wutai:  
  
Reno sneezed for the fourth time that day, even if he wasn't sick or experiencing any allergic reactions. It's been almost an hour since Elena called, and not that he was worried, but there was something strange the way Rude kept looking at his watch.   
  
"I'm going to look for Elena."  
  
A soft knock stopped Reno from replying as Rude answered the door, and a tired looking Elena walked in.   
  
"Where have you been? Rude was about to look for you."  
  
The blond Turk sighed. "I... I was looking for Yuffie."  
  
"Why?"  
  
She turned to face Rude, her face slightly worried. "After that call I made, Yuffie got into an argument with her father, and... he... he hit her."  
  
Reno looked up from a pile of papers as Cait Sith popped out of the room. "Is she okay?"  
  
"I don't know. I tried to look for her, but... it's like she just disappeared," Elena replied softly, banishing the thoughts of her own so-called childhood.   
  
"Well, I just got a call from Tifa and she told me that she's gonna be here with Cloud by tonight, Tomorrow the latest. I'm sure she'll make Yuffie feel better." Cait Sith commented as he looked at the trio. "I wonder if Vincent's coming? Haven't heard from him in a while..."   
  
"Does AVALANCHE know about the whole arrangement?" Rude asked Elena who shrugged.   
  
"Probably not, Yuffie mentioned something about being too busy to talk to the other members of AVALANCHE..." Elena's expression lightened as a certain memory popped into her head. Reno looked at her in surprise.  
  
"Don't tell me you're having a secret relationship with one of those losers," He snorted. "Honestly Elena, do you have to copy everything I do?"  
  
Elena scowled as she sat down on the couch. "Idiot. I was just thinking that the way Yuffie talks about Valentine, you'd think that she has a thing for him."  
  
Cait Sith grinned. "Well, she does try to annoy him more than she does the others," He turned to Reno with a sly smile. "Ooooohhhh, Reno's got competition!" He was rewarded with a dark scowl from the Turk. "   
  
"Maybe you should look for her." Elena suggested softly as she looked at Reno, who just stared at her. "Come on, you've spent what... almost a week together..."  
  
"She's paying me to spend time with her." Reno replied bluntly as he could. There was silence, until Cait Sith spoke up.   
  
"Well, guess I'd better check up on the others if they're coming," Without waiting for a reply, he walked back inside his room, leaving the three Turks to themselves.  
  
Back in his office, Lord Godo just stared outside his window until he heard a knock.  
  
"Come in." He turned around and was pleased to see Alec Kitani walking towards him.  
  
"Is everything alright, Lord Godo? You seem upset."  
  
Godo nodded, inviting Alec to come nearer. "I... had a slight argument with Yuffie."  
  
Alec nodded in understanding. "Reno Mikagi?"  
  
"Among other things." Godo replied. "There, there was a specific reason why Shinra wanted Wutai."  
  
His voice was so soft, Alec barely heard him. "Sir?"  
  
"What I'm going to tell you, I tell you because I trust you."  
  
Alec nodded, but kept silent.  
  
"Yuffie's mother had a... certain gift. She could master the use of any materia without any trouble. However, she never really cared for it. She was picked by my father to be my wife when he learned about her capabilities. There was even rumours that her family came from a clan of summoners... they were rumours, but still..." Godo's voice faltered as his gaze traveled to the portrait. "There was also a certain way materia reacted to her. No one could explain it, and like I said, Misao never really cared for materia. Somehow, Shinra found about Misao... and they demanded that I give my wife to them for scientific reasons," Godo continued, voice filled with hate and disgust. "I refused, and the war began."  
  
Alec looked surprised. "That was the cause of the war?"  
  
Godo simply nodded. "I hid Misao, Yuffie was still a child when the war began." He gave a deep sigh. "Until Misao couldn't take it anymore. The destruction of the lands was too much for her, so she tried to fight." Godo stopped for a moment, before continuing. "She never told me what she was planning to do, all I knew was that she tried to summon a kind of attack from the materia that she had. She failed, and died."  
  
"Was she killed?" Alec asked softly.  
  
"No. The council told me that it was the way she used the materia that drained her life. Nobody could give me a descent explanation. No one really knew what happened. When General Sepiroth heard about my wife's death, he proposed a deal."  
  
"Which was?"  
  
"I give them a vial of Yuffie's blood, and they will leave. I... I was too distraught. My wife was dead, Wutai was in shambles, I knew that we could never win.... So, I agreed."  
Godo stopped, his face filled with anger, regret and slight fear.  
  
"That is why I will never ever trust anyone who has ever been associated with Shinra. God only knows what they did with my daughter's blood."   
  
Alec looked at Godo, who was still staring at his wife's portrait. "You have nothing to fear, Lord Godo. Shinra will never harm your daughter. I swear it."  
  
If only Godo turned to look at Alec, he would have seen the sinister gleam in his eyes.  
  
*-*-  
  
Tifa looked nervously at Cloud, who was still disturbed by the news that they have received. Cid and Barret already called, also shocked and in disbelief, asking her if she knew anything about it. They all agreed to meet at the outskirt of Wutai, so they can all deal with Yuffie at the same time. Her PHS rang, and Tifa quickly answered it, only to hear static at the end of the line.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Tifa? Is... you?" A voice asked.  
  
"Who is this?" Tifa asked louder.  
  
"Tifa, it's Reeve...." Whatever he was going to say was cut off.  
  
Tifa strained her ears to listen. "I can't hear you..."  
  
"Don't say anything, just listen. This isn't a secure line..."  
  
More static.  
  
"Reeve? Speak up, I can't understand you."  
  
"Just listen, I'll explain everything when you get to Wutai, but whatever happens don't hassle Yuffie, got it?"  
  
"Has this got to do with her engagement to Reno?"  
  
"Yes..." Reeve answered through the static. "Listen, don't hassle Yuffie.... dad...."  
  
Tifa was starting to get a headache. "Reeve, I'm sorry... I can't hear you."  
  
"She's.... full...."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said she's probably not going to be feeling well... problems with her father.... depressed... Reno..."  
  
Tifa groaned trying to make sense of their conversation. She tried to listen, but it seems that the connection has been cut.   
  
"What was that about?" Cloud asked, looking ahead as they rode their Chocobo.   
  
"It was Reeve, I couldn't understand, something to do with Yuffie and Reno."  
  
Cloud remained expressionless.   
  
"He was saying something about Yuffie not feeling well, that we shouldn't hassle her...   
some problem with her dad, I don't know, I couldn't hear him properly."  
  
"We should be meeting the others in a few hours. We'll talk about it then,"  
  
Tifa replied, and the rest of their journey was made in relative silence. A few hours later, she was relaxing near the fire, while the rest of AVALANCHE, minus Vincent and Yuffie gathered to talk. Wutai was now an hour away, and they were debating whether to go now or wait until tomorrow.  
  
"I say we go now, the faster we get this cleared up, the sooner I can go!"  
  
Red looked at Barret. "You're not staying for the festival?"  
  
"Foo! I'm not stayin' in a Turk lovin' town."  
  
"You got that right! Let's get this *$#&+ thing cleared up right now!"  
  
Tifa bit her lip as she remembered her conversation with Reeve. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."  
  
Cloud just stood up. "I agree with Barret and Cid. The sooner we can get this cleared up, well..."  
  
Red walked towards Cloud. "True, the news did surprise me, but I also agree with Tifa.   
We have to approach this with caution. I'm sure there's a rational explanation for everything."  
  
"There's nothin' rational 'bout getting involved with a Turk!"  
  
Cid was going to agree vocally, but stopped at the look Tifa gave him.   
  
Cloud looked at his team. None of them would be able to sleep anyway until they get everything straight from Yuffie. "Let's go."  
  
It was already late at night, but the streets of Wutai were still busy, people enjoying the night air. Cloud had to admit that Wutai was in better shape than the last time that they were there. Everyone was excited about the festival, and the group traveled in silence, until they came across a group of kids playing near an old temple.  
  
"I told you they were going to get married!"  
  
Another girl nodded. "They're gonna have a baby! Lady Yuffie's gonna have a baby!"  
  
At that, the group immediately came to a halt as a black haired boy continued.   
  
"Mr. Reno's so cool! Did you see the way he was using that stick!"  
  
Another boy nodded in agreement. "I know! I wonder if their baby's gonna be a boy or a girl?"  
  
The girls, of course shouted 'girl!' the boys contradicted. As the little group argued, a woman walked out of the temple and ushered the kids inside. AVALANCHE was silent until Barret spoke up.  
  
"I knew it! I knew there was a reason for this! Bastard probably got the pest pregnant!"  
  
Cid nodded in agreement. "That &%#$ scum!"  
  
Tifa paled as she recalled her conversation with Reeve. "That's what Reeve was trying to tell me!"  
  
Red remained silent as he listened to Tifa. "He was saying something about Yuffie not feeling well, and that she was having problems with her dad..."  
  
"What do we do now?" Red finally asked as they stared at each other.   
  
"We should just stay at the inn. We'll look for Yuffie tomorrow." The group nodded, and each thought what they would do to Reno when they get their hands on him.  
  
=TbC=  
  
Hmmmm, wonder where will I put Vincent in, anyhow... there was a Yuffie page that I saw before, and they mentioned something that in the game, Yuffie didn't get affected by a confusion attack, or something like that. I just used that idea. Speaking of which, whatever that idea is magnum opus, I'd like to see it! Go for it, mate! Good luck with your finals. As a graduate, I can finally say farewell to those icky exams!  
  
Faltering Hues: When can Britney come over? Alec has a deep dark secret!  
  
Thanks for all your comments! Much appreciated. Yuffie will be in the next chapter. Just wanted to get the group together. 


	8. Chapter8

I don't own them, Squaresoft does... damn!   
  
Playing With Fire  
Chapter 8  
  
Yuffie woke up, and the first thing she noticed was that she wasn't in her room. She looked around, and realized that she was in her 'secret' corner in the garden. A small smile formed on her lips as she remembered the times she used to hide here from Ayami, and even from the Royal Guards every time she felt like playing hide and seek. Until now, this place was her private sanctuary, unknown to anyone else. She looked up, and squinted at the bright light.  
  
She stood up, and peeked out the curtain of vines that served as a door to her secret corner. Making sure no one was around, she slid out and made her slow walk back to the palace when she bumped into something, or someone.  
  
"Yuffie! I was looking for... what happened to you?"  
  
She looked up to see Tifa, both her hands on her shoulders. She gave the girl a smile. "Hi, Tifa!"  
  
"Where did you get that bruise?" Tifa asked, and her eyes narrowed. "Did Reno do this?"  
  
Yuffie laughed despite herself. "Gawd no! I... I just had a little accident yesterday. Hey, I don't have any cure materia with me..."  
  
Tifa sighed and shook her head as she took out her materia and tended to Yuffie's bruise.  
When she finished, Yuffie gave a wide grin, and Tifa held on to her materia tightly.  
  
"Awww, come on Tifa! I'm over that now!"  
  
"I'm sure you are," Tifa replied watching Yuffie as she hid her materia. "So, is there anything you want to tell me?"  
  
Yuffie blinked before shrugging. "Welcome to Wutai?"  
  
Tifa scowled. "Not that! How long have you been seeing Reno?"  
  
A look of understanding dawned on Yuffie's face. "Oh, don't worry about that. I just made it up."  
  
Tifa blinked. "What?"  
  
"It's all an act. I didn't get a chance to tell you before because I was busy."  
  
"Wait... aren't you... pregnant?" Tifa asked carefully, and Yuffie's face darkened for a short moment, as soon as it came, the look disappeared.  
  
"No... That was a rumor gone wrong. Are the other's with you?"  
  
Tifa paled as she dragged Yuffie with her. "Come on, we better find the others before they find Reno."  
  
Meanwhile, Cloud, Cid, Red and Barret walked through the streets of Wutai when they saw an all too familiar man with red hair, followed by a blond, and a bald headed man. "Please, try to remember that we're in public and the last thing Yuffie needs is..." Red never got a chance to finish as Cid and Barret walked faster to meet the approaching Turks.  
  
"Well, well... it's a small world." Reno snickered as the two men approached him. "Fancy meeting you here."   
  
"I'd say the same thing to you, foo'!"  
  
Elena threw Reno a warning glance as the rest of AVALNCHE approached them.   
"Reno, this isn't the place..."  
  
"Whose side are you on?" Reno asked, barely giving her a glance. Elena turned her attention to Rude, who somehow understood.   
  
"Come on, we need to meet Reeve."  
  
The people walking past them could feel the open hostility in the air. Slight whispers started, and a crowd gathered. Cloud noticed the audience they were gaining and spoke up.  
  
"We'll deal with you later. We have more important things to do."   
  
Reno grinned, eyes filled with mocking glee as he stared at Cloud Strife. "Is that a challenge, Spike?"  
  
"Take it if you want it." Cloud retorted, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"Reno," Elena snapped. There was nothing more she wanted to leave, but knowing what a jerk Reno can be, he'll probably provoke a fight with AVALANCHE. "We need to go,"  
  
Cid was about to retort a reply when they heard a faint voice calling Cloud. They looked back, beyond where the Turks were standing and saw Tifa, running with Yuffie. What surprised him, was the concerned look from the female Turk.   
  
"You okay, Yuffie?" Elena asked as Yuffie and Tifa finally reached them. Yuffie just nodded and gave Elena a small smile.   
  
Barret peered down at Yuffie with concern. "You shouldn't be runnin' with that condition, kid, It's not gonna be good for the little one."  
  
Yuffie blinked, "What?"   
  
Elena elbowed Reno, who started to laugh. Cloud, Cid and Barret glared at Reno, and even Red looked slightly angry at Reno's reaction.  
  
"You find the brat's situation funny, Turk?" Cid asked, hands gripping his weapon.  
  
Reno just grinned, hands on the pocket of his jeans as he looked at Yuffie. "Why don't you tell them, sweetheart."  
  
"Shut up, Reno." Yuffie snapped, not in the mood with Reno's stupid teasing. "I swear I'll tell you everything later. Just not here," She said as she turned to her teammates with a pleading look. The crowd was getting bigger, and the last thing Yuffie needed was to have a brawl early in the morning.  
  
Reno however, was having too much time to stop. "Awwww, come on. We don't need to hide anything now do we? It's about time they know about us!"  
  
The ninja glared at Reno as Elena shook her head at Reno's childishness. Rude remained silent, eyes alert and ready to fight, if the need arises. "Don't listen to him, I'll just take you to your villa, I'll explain everything there."  
  
"No kiss? Your public is watching..." Reno teased and Yuffie blushed as she looked at Elena with a silent plea. Fortunately, Elena felt a bit of sympathy towards the girl because of yesterday's events.   
  
"We have business to attend to, Reno. Or have you forgotten that?"  
  
Reno looked at Elena who glared back, annoyed that they were wasting time when they could be doing what they came for in Wutai. The playful look returned in Reno's face as he winked at Yuffie. "See ya later, muffin."  
  
They watched as the Turks walked away, with Reno whistling a happy tune. Yuffie thanked every god she knew of that AVALANCHE remained quiet, due to the fact that Tifa, who was standing behind her had given a glare of warning to the others not to interfere, or be provoked by the red headed Turk.   
  
"You gonna tell us 'bout this whole thing?"   
  
Yuffie nodded. "I'll just take you to where you'll be staying,"   
  
The crowd that gathered was still there, lingering in the background, hoping to hear what was going on. Cloud nodded, and motioned for the others to follow Yuffie. The ninja took a deep breath, and hoped that everything will turn out in her favor, and that the rest of AVALANCHE plays along. /One more week, and this will be all over... I hope.../  
  
  
She let them in the villa, a building opposite to where Reno, Rude, and Cait Sith were staying. Yuffie crossed her fingers, hoping that Tifa would have no objection staying one door away from Elena. They barely got inside when Cloud looked at Yuffie, silently demanding for an explanation. Tifa closed the door behind her, and Yuffie began her tale.  
  
"I asked Reno to be my fiancé."  
  
"What the &%#*+ hell for?" Cid asked. "You got a thing for that scum?"  
  
Yuffie ignored Cid's profanities. "No! I asked him because I needed a fiancé or else Godo was going to engage me to this guy."  
  
"Anyone would be better than that Turk." Cloud muttered as he sat down.  
  
Yuffie gave a shaky laugh. "Not this one... have any of you heard about Kitani Corp?"  
  
Her friends shook their heads. "Kitani Corp is Shinra's newest business rival. They're picking up where old Shinra ended..."  
  
"Hold on, you tellin' me there's a new foo' messin' with those reactors?" Barret interrupted Yuffie who nodded.  
  
"Godo wanted to engage me to Alec Kitani, and I told him over my dead body... but he wouldn't listen, that and Alec won't get off my back, so to shut him up, I kinda told him I had a fiancé, jerk told Godo and he demanded I show this fiancé of mine... so... I showed him one."  
  
Red tilted his head at Yuffie's explanation, while Cid swore. "Why the Turk then?"  
  
"Who else was I supposed to ask? You and Barret would be too... old," She replied  
and looked at Red apologetically. "Red won't do, no offence..."  
  
"None taken, "  
  
"Cloud, well... It'll feel weird," She continued as Cloud raised an eyebrow at her. "Well,   
and Vinnie's nowhere to be found!" She finished raising both her hands in exclamation.   
  
"That why you've been asking me where he is?"   
  
Yuffie nodded as she took a deep breath, "Please... please play along. I had no other choice! Besides, he's good at pissing Alec off."  
  
"This Kitani guy, what's he done so far with the reactors?" Cloud asked staring at Yuffie intently, the fact that she was 'engaged' to Reno was not important anymore. The others noticed the seriousness of Cloud's expression and waited for Yuffie to answer.  
  
"He hasn't activated any, as far as I've heard. All I know for sure is that he's been experimenting with them, for what, I really don't care. All I know is I won't let in happen in Wutai, or anywhere else."  
  
Cloud leaned back, and looked around the room. Tifa looked at Yuffie and wondered where the bruise came from. One of the many benefits of being martial artist was that she could tell a bruise that came from bumping, or from falling, to a bruise that was man made, and Yuffie's bruise was definitely man made. Yuffie caught Tifa's gaze and gave the older girl a reassuring smile. "By the way, you're staying next to my room..."  
  
"And Reeve?"  
  
Yuffie turned to Red who asked the question. "That's another reason why I think having the Turks around is good, they can look after Reeve and Shinra. Alec is starting to worm his way through the council. I'm not worried yet, but it's better that we play it safe."  
  
"What happens if he completely worms his way in?" Cloud asked, his mind already in motion on what to do.  
  
"Kitani will activate a reactor in Wutai. It will start getting business in, and Shinra will have competition. One reason why the council just wanted one organization is to prevent corporations from taking over when we've barely began in rebuilding Wutai."  
  
"And if that happens?"  
  
"Then I have to shake the balance of power. My family has ruled Wutai for ages. Godo, as the present lord of Wutai holds important power, the council can either support him, or not... he can listen to them and use their advice, but in the end..."  
  
"His decisions prevail." Red spoke softly and Yuffie nodded.  
  
"After the festival, I turn eighteen. I would have the power to legally challenge Godo.  
Unfortunately, I still can't completely overturn his decisions, and because I officially become Lady Kisaragi, the balance of power will be split between Godo, and me. He still holds majority of that power, but I have enough to make sure those damned reactors never come near Wutai,"  
  
Her speech was welcomed by silence as they all stared at her. Finally, Cid spoke out. "Who are you and what have you done to our brat?"  
  
Barret nodded and joined it. "Yeah, where's the little pest that stole our materia? You ain't her..."  
  
Yuffie scowled playfully at them. "Funny... I'm dying of laughter."  
  
"You've grown up," Red commented, a look of approval his face, and Yuffie wrinkled her nose in mock disgust.  
  
"Whatever, but please... please play along!" Yuffie asked, returning to the subject of her engagement.   
  
They all looked at each other reluctantly, but also realized that not only will they be able to help Yuffie out, they can use the time they have to investigate Alec Kitani, and make sure that the mako reactors be never activated again.  
  
+-+-  
  
"You're really something, you know that?" Elena muttered under her breath as they waited for Reeve to come out of a meeting.  
  
Reno looked at Elena in surprise. "What? What did I do?"  
  
"You were trying to piss Cloud and the others back then!"  
  
"Oh, come on. I didn't know you cared."  
  
"I don't!" Elena snapped. "Obviously it was wrong for me to think that you'll have the decency to be nicer to Yuffie after what happened yesterday."  
  
Reno snorted. "You buddies with the brat now?"  
  
Rude gave a small cough to get their attention, which they both ignored. "The war is over, we're not enemies anymore. Just because we're not friends doesn't mean we can't be civil with each other especially in public!" Elena hissed as Reeve's secretary looked at her with disapproval.  
  
"Whatever." Reno muttered, as he looked at his watch. "What's taking him so long?"  
  
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Reeve practically barged from the conference room, a look of intense anger in his face as he walk passed them. "Follow me,"  
  
Rude, Elena and Reno looked at each other in mild surprise, this was probably the first time they have ever seen a reaction out of Reeve. When they reached his office, Reeve grabbed a beer from his mini-fridge and practically drank the contents in one gulp.  
  
"You okay, Reeve?"  
  
The president of Shinra Inc looked at Reno. "We have a problem."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Kitani. Stupid, slimy bastard!" Reeve slammed his hand against his table and Elena jumped in surprise. "Since he can't get into Wutai, guess what's he done?"  
  
"Brought a piece of Wutai land?"  
  
Reeve looked at Reno who smirked. "Told you that you should've checked on this asshole the moment he showed up."  
  
"The property is at the most western part of Wutai. He still can't build a reactor, but that would probably soon change."  
  
"You're really angry about this, huh?" Reno asked as he sat down on the chair.   
  
"That's not all. The bastard had the audacity to blackmail me." Reeve replied as he took a folder from his drawer and tossed it to Reno. "I don't know how he got his hands on those Shinra files, but he did. He wanted me to give him all of Shinra's experiment reports or he'll give that to Yuffie."  
  
Reno read the report. "But she knows about this,"  
  
"I know that! It's just the nerve, of that man to actually think he can blackmail me!"  
  
"What experiment reports? Hojo's?"  
  
Reeve looked at Elena who was now reading the files. "Who knows which one that bastard wanted? He just wanted all of them. I don't even have any; I had them destroyed after meteor. The last thing we need is another Hojo who'll use the information for their own twisted plans."  
  
"You're worried about something," Rude commented as he observed Reeve, who nodded.  
  
"I installed a new device for Cait Sith, that would make him slightly independent of me. Almost like a solar power. He has at least two to three hours that he can do on his own, I want him to be around Yuffie as much as possible," Reeve finished and looked more worried now than upset. "There have been... rumors going on. I'm sure I don't have to explain why Godo and the council doesn't approve of Reno as Yuffie's fiancé."  
  
"What sort of rumors?"  
  
Reeve cleared his throat as he looked at Reno. "I'm sure you're aware of how Yuffie is close to the people. The council isn't all too happy that she's gaining more and more influence over the people. They'll listen to her, rather than her father. That, isn't being swallowed well by many..."  
  
"Get to the point, Reeve."  
  
Reeve looked at Reno as he pulled out a mini cassette tape. "Another installment on Cait Sith, I had him roam around for testing when he came across this," Reeve pressed the play button, and all four of them listened to the conversation.  
  
The recording was perfect, the words were clear and the voices would be easily identified if needed, their topic of conversation centered on the festival that will be held in two day's time, as well as the official ceremony for Yuffie that would legally give her decision making powers over Wutai.   
  
The next topic of their conversation made Elena gasp.  
  
At the ceremony, Lady Yuffie Kisaragi will be assassinated. 


	9. Chapter9

Okay, a quick answer to your questions:  
Yep, Shake and the others are part of the council, but no... don't worry not every one in the council wants Yuffie dead. ^_^  
Vincent, hmmm. All good things come to those who wait! And we all know what a honey Reno is, even if he's such an ass! Will Alec die a slow, horrible and painful death? Or do we just keep him alive to torture? Stay tuned!  
  
Thank you once again for all your comments!   
  
  
Didn't own them then, don't own them now...  
  
Playing With Fire  
Chapter 9  
  
"That's not a rumor." Rude commented as Reeve stopped the tape.  
  
"The rumors that have been going around was that the elders, the senior members of the council doesn't want Yuffie to be given any legal powers over Wutai, until she's married to a... suitable man. As I've said, the people love Yuffie, what she says, they do. The council have a heavy influence over Lord Godo, and have always played a deeper role in the past..."  
  
"And with Yuffie, they know that their influence is over." Rude finished, and Reeve nodded.  
  
"Yuffie told me that the decision of the elders after the war was to completely give itself to anyone that can provide a lifeline to Wutai. When Yuffie turned fifteen, she started questioning the decisions of the elders, which her father ignored. She also told me that she suggested a team be sent out to retrieve materia to rebuild the city..."  
  
"And the elders disagreed."  
  
Reeve nodded at Elena. "So, Yuffie left... and we all know where that went. When she came back after meteor, she became more... vocal and more visible. I suppose the elders didn't think too much of it, until she let me in. Like I said, not a lot of people were too happy to see me, but she made a bargain of some sort with Lord Godo, and Shinra started supplying materials for Wutai, along with the solar panels that we're still trying to perfect."  
  
"I don't get it, this place was a dump when we were last here, and now... look at it! Why would they want to kill Yuffie if she's doing such a good job?"  
  
Reno smirked at Elena's question. "Because the little princess isn't doing what they want. You know how stubborn she is, if they can't influence Yuffie, then those old bastards know that they're finished."  
  
"How do we know that the assassins are hired by the elders?"   
  
Reeve looked at Rude and shrugged. "From the rumors that have been flying around, I'd say so, think about it. They can take Yuffie's legal power away, but they can never take her influence away. They may have disregarded her as just a child back then, but now... they see her as a threat to their own power."  
  
The four stayed silent. "For all we know, this plot isn't from the elders. All I know is, there's going to be an assassination on that day."  
  
"What are we going to do?" Elena asked and Reno raised one eyebrow.  
  
"We," He said with an emphasis "Don't have to do anything. Let the her friends take care of it."  
  
"Reno, will it kill you to do a good deed once in a while?" Reeve asked softly as he stared at Reno. "You've been here longer than AVALANCHE, you've been around with Yuffie. The people are bound to trust you more than the others because they think you're her fiancé. Cloud and the others don't have enough time to look around..."  
  
Reno stayed silent as he looked at the wall behind Reeve. "Are we going to tell Yuffie?"  
  
"Talk to Cloud and the others first. She's got enough on her plate with Kitani, that and we don't have proof on who wants her dead."  
  
"So let me get this straight, Godo has this council as his advisors, and within the council, you have these so-called elders. Correct?"  
  
Reeve nodded at Reno's question.  
  
Reno extended his hands, asking for the tape recorder, which Reeve handed in. "I'm doing this because you asked me to. I'm going to call in a favor when the time comes. Rude and Elena, go back to the villa. There's something I need to do." He gave the tape recorder to Rude and walked away.  
  
Blessed with a photographic memory not many knew he possessed, he walked through the army barracks of Wutai, ignoring the looks he was being given by the soldiers. A predatory gleam shone in his eyes when he saw who he was looking for.   
  
Captain Katsu Tasheki turned to see a red headed man walking towards his way. "Can I help you?" He asked, not bothering to mask his dislike for the man. How Lady Yuffie ever found this slob attractive, he would never know.  
  
"Morning, Captain!" Reno greeted with a salute. "How's the security going along for the festival?"  
  
Captain Tasheki stiffened as he glared at Reno. "That, sir, is extremely confidential."  
  
"I see... well, it's just Yuffie never told me about this whole ceremony crap..."  
  
"I would advice you with your language, sir. That 'crap' of a ceremony is to celebrate Lady Yuffie's birthday and to welcome her into Wutaian politics." He snapped at Reno as he cleaned his blade.   
  
"My bad... she never told me anything about this ceremony. How long is that going to be? Or is that information confidential as well?"  
  
"The ceremony will take about an hour, and the celebrations would follow. It will start at sunset. Is that information good enough, sir?"  
  
Reno smirked at the captain's attitude. "No need to be polite, just 'cause I'm going to marry your Lady Yuffie, you can be completely frank with me. I promise I won't tell her when I see her tonight," He said in a whisper, winking at the man.  
  
Captain Tasheki stood up. "You sir, are the most vile man I have ever met. I would hope that she regains her senses enough not to marry you!"  
  
Reno gave another mock salute as the man walked away. He looked around and smirked at the other soldiers before walking back to his villa, satisfied with what he has learnt.  
  
He walked through the streets of Wutai, looking at the buildings. The assassin could be using a gun, a knife, any form of attack. For all he knew it could be from the food that Yuffie was going to eat. Reeve was right, there was too much ground to cover. His days in Wutai as the fiancé of Lady Kisaragi have been fun, to say the least. Teasing Yuffie had been a blast, and pissing Kitani was the cream of the crop. He allowed his mind to drift to the days he had spent with her, and actually found it... nice.  
  
He was treated like a king, even though he knew about the whispers behind his back. Of course a lot of people would be unhappy if a girl like Yuffie was engaged to man like him. There was no future for a couple with that much difference in their lives. Yuffie's time with AVALANCHE was over, and the way she talked about Wutai would probably mean she'd never leave, unless an incident like meteor presents itself again. Everyone was preparing for the festival, and he wondered briefly if the assassin was here, pretending to be excited when he, or she would be attempting an assassination. He shook his head. /Stupid, to try that with AVALANCHE around, plus the Turks, they won't even have a prayer./  
  
His thoughts were cut off when he saw Yuffie, walking alone towards the palace. She's not the brat she presents herself to be. He had seen it every time she was with the people of Wutai. She was honestly concerned for their welfare. His eyes narrowed as he saw Alec Kitani walking behind Yuffie.   
  
Yuffie walked slowly, not really in the mood to go home, but she didn't have any choice. Tifa was coming soon, and she wanted everything arranged for her friend, and prayed for the hundredth time that she won't mind Elena sleeping so close by. She sensed another person following her, and pretended not to notice and continued walking.  
  
The person behind her increased their speed, and she wasn't surprised when she felt someone touch her arm. She shrugged the hand away and turned around. "Alec."  
  
"I heard about the argument with your father, are you alright?"  
  
"Yes, I am. Thanks for your concern, but I really need to go home."   
  
Alec walked in front of her, clearly having more to say. "You know that I've received your father's blessing for our engagement. I brought a piece of property in the west of Wutai. That is where the new reactor would be. I can finally support you,"  
  
Yuffie blinked, not really understanding the meaning of his words. "What?"  
  
"There's a piece of land that is now Kitani property. That way, the reactor isn't in Wutai territory," He explained sounding pleased. "With the money I get, I can give you anything!"  
  
"Alec, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not going to let any activator in or near Wutai, or anywhere else for that matter?"  
  
"Those reactors will generate more power than those stupid solar panels can!"  
  
Yuffie glared at Alec. "Those reactors pollute the planet! Those stupid solar panels have helped Wutai a whole lot."  
  
"It's a slow progress, the reactors can increase the ability of Wutai to prosper!"  
  
"Those reactors are going to kill the planet, how many times do I have to say that? And I will not let the death of the planet be the price to pay for Wutai's speedy prosperity!" Yuffie snapped as she started walking, only to be blocked by Alec. "Please, I'm tired. Get out of my way, or heaven help me, I am going to hit you."  
  
Alec gave a smile as he went on a stance. "If I beat you, you will join me for dinner."  
  
"You're kidding me," Yuffie replied flatly, not really in the mood. Alec remained silent, and Yuffie was about to accept his challenge when a familiar voice spoke out.  
  
"Now you see, I find many things wrong with your challenge."   
  
Alec and Yuffie turned around to see Reno, tapping the nightstick on his leg. "First, challenging a woman for a date? Are you that hopeless?" He walked closer, and Alec's eyes narrowed at each step. "Then, you forgot about me. I don't like being forgotten."  
  
Yuffie could only stare at Reno. There was something different about him, yet all familiar still. This was the Reno she fought against so many times before. Reno's expression had that mocking challenge, but his eyes were more calculating than ever. "I can handle him, Reno."  
  
"I'm sure you can, sugar. But I'd really rather be the one to kick this bastard's ass." He replied smoothly, his attention focused on Alec.   
  
"I have her father's approval. Without Lord Godo's approval, you can never have Yuffie." Alec retorted as Reno smirked.  
  
"I hate to break this up to you, buddy. But I already have Yuffie."  
  
Alec's jealousy reached breaking point as he launched an attack at Reno. The Turk's only response was a feral smile, as he tossed his nightstick to Yuffie and fought Alec bare handed. Yuffie could barely believe her eyes as Alec and Reno exchanged blows and kicks, though it was clearly obvious that Reno was the better fighter.   
  
"Stop it, both of you!" Yuffie cried out, looking around hoping that no one was around to see what was happening. Alec sneered as he landed a blow on Reno's jaw.  
  
"This is normal for you, isn't it Mikagi? Attacking people, I bet it's easy... like a push of a button."  
  
The message behind his taunt did not escape Yuffie and Reno. "Easier than orchestrating the murder of your father, wouldn't you say, Kitani?"  
  
Alec stiffened, and Reno took this chance to deliver a roundhouse kick, that sent Alec on the ground. He looked up at Reno, face seething with anger. Reno looked at Yuffie, who was looking at Alec with what seemed to be a mixture of pity and disgust. He walked over to her and grabbed his nightstick from her hands. "I'm taking you home."  
  
Alec Kitani watched as Reno walked away with Yuffie, and punched his fist to the ground. "I never loose, Mikagi." He muttered as he stood up. "I never loose."  
  
Yuffie walked with Reno, her mind reeling from what she heard. "He killed his own father?"  
  
Reno nodded as they entered the palace ground. "You and Reeve can be completely stupid and naive at the same time. If you had him checked out earlier, you would know so much now."  
  
"Well, what else do you know?"   
  
"That information is classified." Reno replied. "I did that on my own time, you want the information, you got to pay for it."  
  
Yuffie rolled her eyes as she led Reno towards her room. When she reached her door, Reno opened the door and gave Yuffie space to walk in. When she did, Reno just looked at her, and she just stared back.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Where will you be before the ceremony?"  
  
"Here. I'll be escorted by the Royal Guards to the piazza. Oh, as my special guest, you have seating allocations. The three of you will be seated along with Cloud and the others. Please behave."  
  
Reno smiled at Yuffie, and like many times before, she could only blush and feel her knees turn to jelly. "Of course I will." He winked before closing the door. A few seconds later he opened it again and peeked in. "Do I get a good-bye kiss?"  
  
The ninja grinned and decided to play along, and blew a kiss to Reno. The Turk gave a husky laugh and closed the door again. Yuffie could still feel the warmth on her cheeks when she sat down on her bed. Thoughts about what she learned about Alec were forgotten as her mind concentrated on a certain red head. /I need to get him out of my head./  
  
She closed her eyes and let her body rest, her mind drifting from Reno, and a certain black haired man.  
  
Back in the AVALANCHE villa, Cloud looked warily at the Turks, accompanied by Reeve, and Cait Sith. Somehow, there was something weird about seeing the two together, even if Reeve's mechanical wonder was deactivated.  
  
"This better be good." Barret shot a dark look at Reeve, who just nodded as Rude handed the tape to Cloud.   
  
"I wanted to test Cait Sith's independence mode when I came across that," He said. Cloud just looked at Reeve. "Play it."  
  
Their reaction was expected. Tifa looked horrified, and Red almost snarled. Cid and Barret let it loose with their curses, demanding to know who the mystery voices belonged to. Cloud remained silent as he rewinded and played the tape again, and listened to it for the second time. He looked at Reeve. "Do you know who these people are?"  
  
He shook his head, and raked his hands over his hair in pure frustration. "No. Cait was already out of power, luckily they didn't notice him. My employees just retrieved him and gave him to me. When I checked out his data... I got that."   
  
"Why would they want to do it in public though? And at the festival. There's going to be too many people. Wouldn't it be easier to try and kill her in private?"  
  
Reno shook his head. "They want an audience."  
  
"We should tell Yuffie about this, her father should know!"  
  
"I don't think so." Reno said as he sat down. "We don't know who exactly ordered the assassination. For all we know, her old man is on it too."  
  
Tifa glared at Reno. "That's stupid! She may have problems with her father but he's not going to have her killed! Her father would never hurt her!"  
  
"He was angry enough to hit her." Reno countered, voice smooth and calculated. "This is politics. Shit happens."  
  
"But her own father?"   
  
"I've seen it happen." Reno replied, looking away from Tifa who still wouldn't believe that Godo was part of the plan.   
  
"And you would know that," Barret sneered at Reno who glared back.  
  
"More than you think."  
  
Reeve cleared his throat. "Listen, we don't know anything! We don't know who is behind this, or if they'll actually go through with it!"  
  
"The ceremony starts at sunset. Yuffie will be escorted from the palace to the piazza. Anything can happen. Like Reeve said, we don't know anything. The assassin could be a servant, a friend. It could take place anywhere, but I'm betting that they'll want to put in a show. The other problem that we have is we don't know what they'll use to try and kill Yuffie."  
  
Cloud looked at Reno suspiciously. "Why do you care?"  
  
"Simple. Without Yuffie, Reeve here is finished. I have my own motives."  
  
"As always," Cloud muttered as he played the tape again. "We should tell Yuffie to cancel the festival."  
  
"Bad idea, Spike."  
  
"Who asked you?" Cloud asked Reno who shrugged and took out a cigarette.  
  
"Yuffie would want to know 'why' we want the whole thing cancelled, two, it can alert the people who want her dead. We have to give those bastards what they want.""  
  
Barret stood up angrily. "You sayin' we use the kid as bait?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Reno's response caused a hostile reaction and Cid and Barret lunged for him. He avoided the two and took out his nightstick, and prepared to fight until Rude spoke out.  
  
"If we don't draw them out on that day, we would never know who is behind that assassination attempt. We may get the people on the tape, but that won't guarantee that they'll say anything. They can deny it, we have no hard proof."  
  
Cid and Barret remained standing when Elena looked at Cloud. "Can you play that again? I could've sworn I heard one of the voices from before."  
  
Cloud rewinded the tape again, and played it for Elena while Tifa walked to the balcony, not wanting to hear more. "You recognize the voice?"  
  
"I'm not certain... but it sounds like... like the Captain of the Royal Guards." She replied then shook her head. "No... it can't be."  
  
"Why not?" Cloud asked, getting interested at a possible lead.   
  
"Because, the way Yuffie talks about him... he's like a second father to her. She told me that it was the Captain that she spent a lot of time with when she was younger and that..."  
  
Reno snorted. "Think like a Turk, Elena. You've been hanging around Yuffie too long."  
  
Elena opened her mouth, before closing it again, her face red with anger and embarrassment. "If her dear daddy Godo is a suspect, why couldn't this guy be? You heard him speak before, you recognized the voice..."  
  
"You knew the first time, didn't you?" Elena interrupted staring at Reno disbelievingly.  
  
"Of course!"  
  
"Then why the hell didn't you say something?" Cloud yelled at Reno who just shrugged.   
  
"Can we get to the more important things?"   
  
Everyone turned to look at Red, who leaped up at stood on the table. "I may not agree with what Reno has proposed, but we have no option. The ceremony is in two days. We won't have enough time to look around and gather enough evidence. Like Rude mentioned, even if we find those people on the tape, they can deny that it was them. What we can do is plan a way on how we can gather as much information that we can, and make sure that Yuffie is safe."  
  
"I think we should tell Yuffie." Elena commented.  
  
"I agree with her," Tifa said softly as she walked back in. "She needs to be aware of this."  
  
Cloud tapped his fingers on the table and looked around him before answering. "No."  
  
"What?" Both females asked in shock and anger, and both were hushed at the look Cloud gave them.  
  
"If Yuffie finds out, she'll look for these people herself, and probably endanger herself more. She'll only get her self in trouble. Do you honestly think that she'll just sit around and let us do all the work?"  
  
Tifa remained silent as Cloud looked at Elena. "You said so yourself that she has a close relationship with this Captain. How do you think she'll feel when she hears this?"  
  
Elena didn't say anything but sank down on the sofa. "Fine."  
  
"Like I said, these people plotted to assassinate Yuffie at the festival because they want an audience." Reno said again as he took out a map from his jacket and tossed it to Cloud. "That's the whole of Wutai."  
  
Red jumped back down as Cloud spread the map on the table, and all of them gathered around it. He looked again at Reno. "How do I know that we can trust you?"  
  
"You don't. All you need to know is I'm doing this because Reeve asked me to. That, and Yuffie hasn't paid my full fee yet."  
  
Cloud's eyes narrowed as he glared at Reno, who just smiled back. "Admit it, Strife. You need the Turks. If you don't just say the word and we'll just walk away."   
  
"Please, we need to work together. We don't have enough time. Do it for Yuffie."  
Reeve pleaded. "I owe Yuffie."  
  
AVALANCHE looked reluctantly at each other. "Fine. We work together. This time, no secrets. What you find out, we need to know if we're going to make this work. Agree?"  
  
Reno nodded and extended a hand. "You have our word."  
  
Cloud looked at Reno's extended hand and took it with his own. The two formalizing the agreement. As the meeting went on, Elena couldn't help but wonder that not once, throughout the meeting did Reno refer to Yuffie as pest, or brat. 


	10. Chapter10

I'd buy them from squaresoft, but I can't even afford a playstation 2. *sob*  
  
  
Chapter 10  
Playing With Fire  
  
Two days later:  
  
Tifa woke up, feeling guilty that she fell asleep, when she should have been doing something. Anything. The ceremony was tonight, and they have so little to go by. Reno and Rude have scouted the piazza, and have given probable places where the assassin could be stationed if they were going for a long-range attack. Somehow, she didn't know if she should be impressed with what Reno has done. He had come out with the five most probable scenarios, which he said was originally seven. She stood up and began fixing her bed. /Of course he'd know. He'd know exactly how the assassins would think. If fate was being a bitch, Reno probably would have been the one hired to do the job./  
  
She took only a short time in the shower, eager to get out and see if there was anything she can do.   
  
On the other side of Yuffie's room, Elena was already wide-awake, her eyes scanning through the employee profiles of everyone who worked in the Kisaragi household. She stopped when she heard Yuffie shriek, and ran out. She bolted out of her room and saw a very wet Tifa in her bathrobe, and they both walked in, with Elena on the lead, gun already drawn out.  
  
Their shoulders sagged in relief as Elena hid her gun. Yuffie was shaking her head, whining at Ayami who was trying to yank her out of the bed.  
  
"I don't wanna go..."   
  
Ayami succeeded in yanking Yuffie out of the bed and started dragging the girl to the bathroom. She looked at Tifa and Elena and pleaded to her friends. "Come on guys, you have to help me... please!"  
  
"It's just a photo session. No one's going to kill you. Now go take a bath and I'll have your royal robes prepared." She shoved the young girl inside who still continued to whine. "Honestly! Every time I start to think that she has grown up, she changes my mind with her antics!"  
  
Both Elena and Tifa laughed nervously at Ayami. Elena gave Tifa a look before walking out, and Tifa soon followed. "I've looked through the employees. There's a few that seems to fit the profile."  
  
Tifa nodded her head. Before Elena can walk away, Tifa grabbed Elena's arm gently. "When I arrived here, Yuffie had this bruise on her cheek. Was that from Lord Godo?"  
  
Elena bit her lip and nodded her head. "They were arguing and things got out of hand."  
She replied. "What time are we going to meet the others?"  
  
"At ten. I want to look around the grounds more before I meet Cloud."  
  
The blond nodded. "I'll see you later, then."  
  
Tifa watched Elena walk back to her room before walking back to her own. Who would've thought that she could actually be on good terms with Elena? Would they have been friends if it weren't for the old Shinra? Probably. Stranger things have happened.  
  
Who exactly is out to get Yuffie? She just prayed that Reno was wrong about her father being involved. How would Yuffie feel if she found out that the people she trusted, the people that were supposed to protect her, are out for her blood?  
  
She bit her lip, and a determined look came to her face. She won't let anything happen to Yuffie. She wasn't about to stand around and watch another friend die.  
  
Yuffie on the other hand wasn't about to stand around and be photographed while wearing seven dresses at the same time. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. They have a picture of her somewhere... can't they just do that computer thing and leave her alone?  
She let out a smile as she climbed out of her bathroom window, and jumped to a near by tree branch, and slowly climbed down. Whistling to herself... she walked away and walked through the gardens for some fresh air.  
  
/Wait... since when did I start whistling?/   
  
As soon as the thought entered her head, she stopped and shuddered. /Gawd... I've been hanging around with Reno too long. Well, not that it was bad. He can be a pain in the ass, but I have to admit, he's very good looking. Not as hot as Vincent, but cute enough./  
  
The red head of her thoughts came to view as she turned to a corner, and she saw Reno, without a shirt, practicing a series of kata she could've sworn was the Wutaian army exercise. His hair, usually messy was tied up tight, and reminded her of her comic book hero. Red hair, cross scar, except that this man had twin scars instead beneath his eyes. All thoughts of Vincent vanished from her head as she watched him move. Some of his movements weren't smooth, and the transition a bit awkward, but hell. With a chest like  
that, who cares|?  
  
Yuffie shuddered again /Eeeewww... grossness! Gawd, what am I thinking?/  
  
She shook her head and walked closer to Reno. "Your arms are too stiff. And your legs need to be further apart. Keep your back straight. By the way, what's with the hair?"  
  
"Feels fresher." Reno replied and grinned at Yuffie, noticing the blush on her cheeks. "You came to perve on me?"  
  
"As if! You're butchering a hundred years of tradition with your movements!" She replied, silently cursing herself because she knew that he could see her blush. "Where did learn that, anyway?"  
  
"Tseng. He never did teach me, just saw him doing it and I copied him."  
  
Yuffie just nodded as she noticed the various scars on his chest. "Where the hell did you get all that?"  
  
Reno walked closer to Yuffie and turned around, showing him the scars behind his back.  
He turned again to face her. "What can I say, some are battle scars and the others... well... some women can be very, very, aggressive."  
  
Yuffie blinked. "Well of course! Just because they're women doesn't mean they can't fight as well as other men."   
  
Reno laughed at her reply and it took a while for Yuffie to digest what he actually meant.  
"You are so gross, Reno!" Yuffie yelled, and threw a punch at him, trying to hide her embarrassment.  
  
Reno caught her fists with his own. "The look on your face! That was a classic... " He continued laughing and Yuffie continued to turn red. "You really make me laugh, Yuffie..."  
  
"Shut up or I'll kick your ass!"  
  
Reno continued laughing. "Awww, come on Yuffie. I was just teasing you."  
  
"I feel so blest." She snapped back as Reno released her hand.   
  
"Okay, why don't you teach me how to do the kata right? Or do you just want to watch me butcher a hundred years of tradition?" He suddenly asked, all traces of humor gone.   
  
Yuffie looked at Reno as if he had grown another head. "What?"  
  
"Come on, teach me the proper way to do it. I already know it anyway. It's not like you're about to give away a deep, dark secret. Besides, I gave you a discount on my fee, remember?"  
  
Yuffie gave a deep breath. "Might as well. I have nothing better to do anyway."  
  
She faced Reno and walked a few steps back, giving them room to move. "Ready? You have to mirror my movements. Can you do that?"  
  
Surprisingly, Reno just nodded his head. Yuffie took a deep breath, and started moving. Reno followed her movements with ease, his eyes quickly picking up subtle movements he never got from Tseng, and couldn't help but admire the younger girl. Sure, she wasn't as pretty as the other girl's he's dated... but none of those girls can make him laugh and at the same time had the capability to kick his ass, as Yuffie threatened earlier.  
  
He shook those thoughts from his head, and concentrated on her movements, as well as his. And soon enough, they were performing the kata smoothly, but still with the deadly edge it had always possessed.   
  
Tifa and Elena decided to walk to the villa together when they saw Reno and Yuffie. They stood frozen to the ground, mouths slightly parted in surprise. They looked at each other before looking back at the pair, totally engrossed in their exercise.   
  
"They actually look good together." Elena whispered, hardly believing what she just said. "If they don't piss each other to death, that is."  
  
Tifa nodded. "I can't believe what I'm seeing..."  
  
"Hey, is Yuffie with Valentine or something?" Elena asked softly, her gaze still on the two.  
  
"I think that Yuffie just has a crush on him, like she did with Cloud before." Tifa replied still looking at the two. "Why?"  
  
"Nothing." Elena responded. "We should be going, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
The two still continued to look at Yuffie and Reno, not one making the first move to walk to the villa.   
  
A few minutes later, Elena and Tifa managed to get themselves moving and were faced with an irritated Cloud.  
  
"You're late."  
  
"Sorry," Both women apologized as they sat down.  
  
"Where the hell is Reno?" Cloud asked angrily at the Turk's tardiness, but did not expect a reply from anyone. So it came as a surprise when both women started giggling. /Is Tifa actually *giggling* with the Turk?/  
  
Cid and Barret just stared at the two while both women tried to stop. When Rude caught Elena's gaze she blushed and looked away.   
  
"Is there anything going on that we should know?" Cloud asked as Tifa and Elena looked at each other before facing him.   
  
"Reno's just preoccupied," Tifa replied with a smile, while Elena kept her head down, hiding her face behind a curtain of blond hair, an attempt to stop the laughter that was about to come.   
  
Thankfully, Reno walked in. Tifa turned around to see him wearing a gray shirt and a towel around his neck. "What did I miss?"  
  
"You're late." Cloud stated flatly as the Turk sat down. "We've already discussed where Cid and Barret would be stationed tonight. Reeve will be sitting next to Elena and Tifa.   
He will place Cait Sith under the stage and Rude will be behind it. Red will shadow Yuffie from the time she leaves the palace, and you can monitor the surroundings and the personnel. Elena, do you have the list?"  
  
Elena nodded and handed it to Reno. Rude handed another list and Reno looked at them. "What will you do?"  
  
"I'll be on this building here" Cloud replied, pointing to the map. "Besides the building that Cid and Barret would be, this has a good view of the whole ceremony. I've checked it out last night. Any last minute questions, or ideas?"  
  
He received no reply. "Good. Keep the lines of communications open. Remember, not only we have to keep Yuffie safe, but we have to catch these people on the act. We have to get them now. If we don't..."  
  
"We will." Reno said cutting Cloud off. "You can bet your life Wutai will be shaking before midnight."  
  
"Let's just hope they'll be shaking with relief and not in despair," Cloud snapped as he rolled the map. "We meet back here at four to talk about any new information that we have. Cid and Barret have already taken note of people that looked out of place as well as being very interested at the buildings Reno have said to be as hot spots."  
  
The group stood up and prepared for the day ahead of them. He looked around the room, and Cloud felt the familiar surge of adrenalin flowing through his body. "Let's move."  
  
Oblivious to the threat to her life, Yuffie stood in front of the photographer who would do her portrait. The only consolation to this what that she'll just be standing for a few hours, compared to a whole day if she was to be painted the traditional way. She felt uncomfortable with all the robes that she was wearing, and that she had to stand straight and look regal. Yuffie rolled her eyes. /Whatever./  
  
"All done, Lady Kisaragi."  
  
Yuffie gave the photographer a polite smile as she struggled to move with the robes. /How the hell did my mother do this?/ "Can I change to something else, Ayami?"  
  
Ayami nodded as she helped the younger woman. "Just use your bathrobe. You'll need to change to the ceremonial gown soon. Saya will be with you shortly to fix your hair." The old woman said as they stopped. Ayami pushed a stray lock of hair behind Yuffie's ear and smiled. "Tonight will be the first night you will wear the Royal Crown. You will be even more beautiful than ever."  
  
Yuffie blushed as they continued to walk. "Awww, come on Ayami. I'm not going to be wearing that forever! It's so... flashy,"  
  
"It's elegant. That crown was fitted for you. I can't wait to see that crown on your head!"  
  
"I can't wait to get rid of this dress!" Yuffie muttered. "This dress is heavier than me!"  
  
Ayami just sighed as they reached her room. Yuffie quickly untied the obi and proceeded to take her robes off. "Careful! Be patient..."  
  
"But it's itchy!"   
  
"Just a little longer..." Ayami soothed the young girl, secretly pleased that her young charge was complaining. She was used to Yuffie being immature and irrational, and to suddenly see her all grown up after the meteor incident was almost heartbreaking. It was good to see her mature, and still carry that carefree, childish attitude that she had loved. She grinned as she imagined what Lady Kisaragi's first child would look like.   
  
For the rest of AVALANCHE and the Turks, the countdown was almost unbearable. Red had already been near Yuffie's window after the meeting, insisting that he should be close by. They were practically in the dark, and he could see that even Reno was not fully satisfied with their plan. He smiled as he heard Yuffie complaining about the dress that she was going to wear, and that there was no way she could hide more than one materia in that outfit. He stayed hidden, and waited.  
  
The President of Shinra Inc. walked inside the palace where the procession would begin. He nodded towards Kitani, who nodded in return. Tifa and Elena should be waiting near the piazza, ready to join him once the parade was over. He briefly closed his eyes, and prayed that the adjustments he had done on Cait Sith would be enough. He looked around the room and noticed the elders, and the council. Shake... was it? He remembered him when he first came to Wutai with the newly formed Shinra. The guardian looked at him and gave a smile and looked up. He followed his gaze and held his breath as Yuffie walked down the stairs.  
  
There were murmurs around as they watched Lady Kisaragi walk down the stairs. Shake and the other guardians whispered words of encouragement and she smiled in return. She was about to walk to him when the council blocked her, and they gave their private greetings. /Not good... They wouldn't try anything here... but still./  
  
Lord Godo Kisaragi entered from his office, also dressed in official ceremonial robes. He looked at his daughter with guilt, not having a chance to apologize. He felt his heart break when she avoided his gaze. She was beautiful, Misao would be so proud. The white robes that belonged to her mother was modified to fit Yuffie, but she still looked perfect. The hand woven silver patterns glittered, and he knew that it would only enhance his daughter's beauty later that night. He shifted his attention to Captain Tasheki, and Hato, the High Priest. Both bowed to them, and with a loud bang from the gong, the procession had begun.   
  
All around Wutai, the people were already celebrating, waiting for the chance to see their Lady Kisaragi be crowned. Cid and Barret were perfectly hidden in their designated spots, while Elena and Tifa joined the other people, waiting to be ushered to their seats. Cait Sith remained still and silent, knowing the importance of his mission while Rude monitored everything from behind, taking note of everything and everyone that passed by. Reno played the perfect fiancé, accepting congratulations while spotting a few of the employees that showed on Rude and Elena's report.   
  
Cloud Strife stood on top of the building, his face scanning the scene below him and watched as the procession reached the piazza. "Cid, report."  
  
"Clear,"  
  
"Barret, report."  
  
"Two on my left. I can take them on, Spike."  
  
Cloud looked over where Barret was hiding and spotted the two. His attention turned to the stage as the crowd cheered, and the Lord and Lady of Wutai entered the stage.   
  
If it were an ordinary day, Tifa and Elena would marvel at the fact that Yuffie looked so beautiful. She looked very much like the royalty she was supposed to be. Instead however, both girls were looking around Yuffie, checking to see anyone out of place.   
  
/Breathe, Yuffie. Breathe./ The young girl commanded herself as the High Priest started the ceremony. She could see Tifa, Elena and Reeve, but not the others. She tried not to frown, wondering where her friends were, or for that matter, where was her fiancé?  
  
/Pretend fiance! Pretend!/ She looked around, and was overwhelmed by the size of the crowd. She felt her palm sweat as she glanced around nervously. /Something's wrong. I know it. Something's not right./ She looked around again, and Yuffie could have sworn that there was someone on top of the orphanage house. She felt Gorky and Chekov help her up, and escorted her to the High Priest. They helped her back to a kneeling position, her head bowed as the priest bestowed his blessing.  
  
"I, the High Priest of Wutai ask the Guardians of the Pagoda, do you accept this woman into the light of Leviathan?"  
  
"We do." The four replied, and looked at the girl that caused so much hassle in their lives with pride.   
  
"Council, do you swear on your oath and blood to guide and protect this woman in her journey?"  
  
"We do."  
  
/Liars, liars pants on fire!/ Cait silently chanted underneath the stage, already familiar on what should be going on above.   
  
"Lord Godo, do you recognize this woman as your daughter, and welcome her to share your power?"  
  
"I do."  
  
The High Priest raised his scepter and pointed at the people. "Do you, people of Wutai accept this woman as your future ruler?"  
  
"We do!" The crowd shouted with pride and happiness. Everything fell silent as the High Priest gave his scepter to Staniv, and took the crown from Shake.   
  
"By your blessing, I give this crown to Lady Yuffie Kisaragi." He placed the crown on her head, and Yuffie smiled, and felt her heart grow warm. "Rise, Lady of Wutai, and meet your people."  
  
Chekov and Gorky helped her up and she faced the crowd, who bowed to her. She tried to stop tears from falling, but she felt so overwhelmed with emotions, and the realization that she can do something more for Wutai made her happier.  
  
"Two on the left, and one on the right." Rude's voice came out of the radio and Cloud   
saw the intruders immediately.   
  
"Tifa, Elena. Left and right."  
  
Both of the women touched their left ears carefuly hearing the transmittion.   
  
"It's happening. I can't believe it's happening." Tifa whispered as Elena calculated the distance from her target.   
  
Underneath the stage, Cait Sith felt the unnecessary weight and prepared to move. Already knowing where Yuffie was standing, he prepared his new gadget and pointed it on stage.  
  
Cid, Barret, Reno and Red, already aware of the situation moved to a new position that Reno previously planned. As Yuffie made a move to accept the scepter from the High Priest, all hell broke loose.  
  
Yuffie screamed as she fell under the stage, only to be caught by Cait Sith. "What the hell are you doing?"  
  
"Saving you!" The cat grinned. Above her, Lord Godo was already being escorted away, as the High Priest lay injured from a gunshot. The elders, the guardians of the pagoda and the rest of the council was escorted as well, and the crowd was running around in blind panic.   
  
Cid, Barret and Cloud already knowing who to look for went their separate ways.   
Cloud swore as he ran after his target. /I can't believe Reno got everything right! Bastard!/  
  
Late last night, Reno presented the most probable scenarios. Since the Turk was already dead sure that the assassin wants an undivided attention, what better time to strike than right after the coronation? Everyone would be focused on Yuffie, and Sepiroth could be dancing naked in the back, but no one would notice. Elena retrieved the ceremony schedule, the blocking of everyone that was going to be on stage. Reno mentioned that a close range attack would directly come from the stage, and a long-range attempt would be on the buildings that they were already guarding.   
  
Cloud avoided an arrow and lunged for the guy, only giving one punch. The suspect fell unconscious and Cloud dragged the man back. /Bastard got everything right./ The leader of AVALANCHE continued to drag the man back to the piazza, barely hearing Cid and Barret's report of their own success in capturing their suspects.   
  
"Red and Cait have followed the elders and the council. She's with her father." Rude's voice rang out as Cloud took his radio from his breast pocket.  
  
"Rude, we have three of the royal guards..."  
  
"Elena and Tifa have the other four. Reno's shadowing Tasheki."  
  
Cloud looked around and saw Cid and Barret. "Is the father still a suspect?"  
  
There was a moment of silence. "Yes."  
  
Captain Tasheki and the rest of the royal guards escorted Yuffie with her father in a tight circle. Yuffie was still shaking, the previous events not clearly registering in her mind.  
She cursed silently wishing for her conformer, and prayed Hato was all right. A soldier screamed and fell as a burst of fire came out of nowhere. /Materia!/ Yuffie quickly reached for a materia hidden in her gown, not an easy task when she was shoved to the ground, and covered by grown men. She wiggled, and the soldier, whom she recognized as a boy named Falcor kept her still.  
  
"Please Lady Yuffie, keep still until the Captain says it is safe to stand up."  
  
There were shouts and weapons being thrown, and Yuffie gritted her teeth. There was silence. "Hurry, we have to get Lord Godo and his daughter inside!"   
  
She felt herself being hauled to her feet, her white gown now covered with dirt and leaves. She felt a presence from behind her and turned around. Yuffie was about to use her materia to attack when her father stepped in front of her.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Captain, take my daughter and hide her." Godo commanded, sword drawn out.  
  
"Are you crazy! You haven't fought in years!" Yuffie shouted as their attacker disappeared from their sights. "I can handle this!"  
  
"Lord Godo, I must insist..."  
  
"That's an order, Captain! Protect my daughter at all cost."   
  
"That's crazy!"  
  
Godo turned around and looked down at Yuffie. "For once in your life, Yuffie. Listen to me!"  
  
Yuffie bit her lip as she felt herself being dragged away. She impulsively ran to her father and gave him an embrace. "I love you, daddy."  
  
Godo closed his eyes as he stroked his daughter's hair. "Go with the Captain."  
  
Yuffie nodded and handed her ice materia to her father before joining the captain.   
  
"Reno, Yuffie's with Tasheki." Rude whispered and waited for a response. "Reno?"  
Still nothing. Rude swore as he continued to watch Lord Godo, surrounded by his men. He watched Yuffie's father, looking for any signs of his involvement. He had been a first hand witness to the fact that blood is not thicker than water, not when it came to money, or power.  
  
His hands gripped his gun, as he tuned in to his surroundings. The attacker has fled.   
  
Yuffie tried to catch her breath as she ran with the Captain. She remembered the very reason why she hated to wear dresses. It was hard to run, and would practically be impossible to fight. "Where are we going?"  
  
Captain Tasheki ignored her as he came to a complete stop, and motioned for her to stay quiet. They both listened to their surroundings, and became satisfied that they were no longer being followed. Yuffie closed her eyes, and allowed herself to relax. It was fine, everything was fine. The pain was unexpected as Yuffie felt something sharp behind her back, and felt her self be pushed to the ground.   
  
Her eyes watered in pain as she saw the Captain with a knife, covered with blood. Her blood. "Why?" She asked in a whisper, crawling backwards, away from the man she called a friend. "Why?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Yuffie. Truly I am." He whispered. She felt the tears of pain and betrayal fall against her cheek as he walked closer. "You would've destroyed everything Yuffie. Everything that we have worked for.  
  
"I don't understand..."  
  
"Shhh, don't cry. I won't let you suffer anymore."  
  
Yuffie kicked the Captain in the shin hard enough for him to drop the knife, and quickly ran away, only to be grabbed by the hair. Tasheki shoved her to the ground once more. "Don't make this difficult than it already is!"  
  
"I'm not giving up without a fight!" Yuffie cried out in anger. "Why are you doing this? You were supposed to be my friend!"  
  
"You," Tasheki seethed, "Would have abolished the council. You would destroy what took hundreds of years to build, all the work will be nothing to you once you assume the throne."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, I would *never* abolish the council!"  
  
"Liar!" The Captain roared and kicked Yuffie on her ribs. She winced in pain as Tasheki walked away from her. "I'm sorry, Yuffie." He took out his gun and aimed it straight at Yuffie's head. She closed her eyes, and flinched when she heard a gun shot. She blinked, and realized that she was alive. She looked in shock to see the Captain, on the ground, staring at the sky in shock. She crawled to where he was and took his gun and glanced around, waiting to be attacked. She heard movement from behind her and she spun around, not paying any attention to the pain from her wound and saw the darkness move from behind the trees. She licked her dry lips and prepared to shoot, only for her arms to drop to the ground when she saw a familiar figure walking towards her.  
  
"Vincent," His name escaped her lips, and Yuffie felt the darkness claim her.  
  
~tBc~  
  
I hope I didn't disappoint. I was never good at fighting scenes! So, here's Vincent!!  
Reffie chapter ahead!! And yes, there would be interesting ( I hope anyway) Vincent/Yuffie/Reno scenes, but not in a love triangle kind of way. I can't let Vincent loose the girl again!  
  
Thanks again for all your comments! 


	11. Chapter11

Magnum Opus: Yep, gotta love that hair! And yes, those mistakes...   
I'll try better this time!   
  
Usual disclaimers apply  
  
Playing With Fire  
Chapter 11  
  
Vincent Valentine walked slowly towards Yuffie, gun still pointed at Tasheki. He heard a sound behind him and greeted the newcomer.  
  
"Your suspicions proved to be correct."  
  
Reno came from behind the trees, riding a white chocobo. "Is Yuffie alright?"  
  
The ex-Turk knelt next to the girl and examined her wound. "Yes." He took a materia from his pocket and healed Yuffie, while Reno watched over Tasheki. Satisfied that the wound has healed, he took the girl in his arms and gave her to Reno.   
  
"Lucky I saw you around before you could mess things up." Reno snickered as he adjusted Yuffie in front of him. "Meet Cloud and the others. They should be back at the palace now, you know what to do."  
  
Vincent simply nodded and watched as Reno disappeared with Yuffie, and turned his attention to the Captain who was looking at him with fear. Captain Tasheki tried to reach for another weapon, but Vincent quickly grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him up. The Captain could only stare at the most intimidating weapon that he had ever seen in his life.   
  
"Walk."  
  
Tasheki quickly examined his options. He would be hindered in fighting with his wound, and he recognized the man from Yuffie's descriptions about her friends. The one and only Vincent Valentine. His gaze traveled to the claw, and he shivered. "Do not tempt me to kill you," Vincent said softly, yet his voice was like steel. "It is Lord Godo who will see to your punishment."  
  
"You don't understand! She would ruin everything!" He cried out in despair and panic, knowing that he was out of options. Whatever happens, he would be killed. He can't name the elders who were part of the plot. They would simply deny it.  
  
Vincent ignored him, the Death Penalty pointed at the direction of the palace. "Walk or I will simply drag you back."  
  
With his left hand covering the gunshot wound in his right shoulder, the Captain of the Royal Guards lowered his head in shame and defeat, and did as he was told.  
  
Back in the palace, the Official Chamber was in an uproar; Lord Godo called for an emergency meeting. The council was shaken and angered at the assassination attempt, few were wondering if the real target was Godo, or his daughter. Some of the elders were seething from a different sort of anger, if only anyone could notice. The Guardians of the Pagoda were arguing amongst themselves, if they should look for Yuffie, or not.   
  
Lord Godo sat in silence as his council argued and bickered amongst themselves, questioning the lack of security; conspiracy theories have been thrown around. He could hear the noise, but his only thought was of his daughter, if Captain Tasheki managed to hide Yuffie. He heard the golden doors open, and all fell silent as the man he knew as Cloud Strife walked in. Behind him, seven of the Royal Guards with their hands tied up followed, and was guarded by the rest of AVALANCHE, along with Elena and Rude.  
  
"What... what is the meaning of this?" Lord Godo asked, shocked and angry that his Royal Guards were treated in such a fashion. Cloud Strife, leader of AVALANCHE met his gaze.  
  
"Accomplices to the plot to assassinate your daughter."  
  
The room erupted in angry shouts. The Lord of Wutai watched, slightly in awe as the blond man raised his hand, and the room fell silent once again. He had a commanding presence; even men twice his age followed his silent command. Cloud took out a tape recorder and walked towards him.  
  
Lord Godo looked suspiciously at Cloud as he accepted the tape, and played it. The room was completely silent, save for the voices in the tape. Lord Godo paled as he recognized the voice. "Lies!" He shouted and threw the recorder to the floor. "I will not stand here and let you slander my Captain!"  
  
"Those were his own words. Not ours." Cloud replied and motioned for Rude to walk beside him. "How else could these people have infiltrated your Royal Army if it wasn't for Tasheki's approval?" He asked as Rude handed a folder to Lord Godo who looked at them in disbelief. "You have traitors right in front you, Lord Godo."  
  
There was chaos once again in the room as everyone started screaming denials and accusations against each other. It was Gorky that saw Captain Tasheki first, followed by Vincent Valentine. One by one, everyone saw the Captain, the look on his face already spoke the truth.   
  
"Where is my daughter?"  
  
The Captain remained silent, eyes cast down. "Where is my daughter?" He asked once again, anger swelling inside him as he walked towards his Captain.  
  
"Safe."  
  
The reply came from the man behind Tasheki. Vincent lowered his weapon. "Yuffie was stabbed at the back. I have cured her, and she is safe." His red eyes seem to glow as he scanned the room, most people looked away in fear at the man standing before them.   
  
"Where is she? Why isn't she here?" He was met with silence and he looked at Cloud, then back to the other members of AVALANCHE. "My daughter needs to be protected! She needs to be here with me!"  
  
"Prove your innocence." Vincent's voice was cold, and the Lord of Wutai suddenly felt all of AVALANCHE looking at him with suspicion.  
  
"How dare you! How dare you accuse me?" He cried out in anger, the room still silent.  
  
Vincent once again looked around the room before answering. "We have reason to believe that the people behind the plot to assassinate your daughter is in this very room."  
  
If it weren't for his intimidating presence, the room would have erupted in anger again. "Until we are satisfied that your daughter is completely safe, she will stay hidden. She is not alone, she is well protected." He continued.   
  
"She is the Lady of Wutai! We are the ones who are supposed to protect her!" One of the council spoke out bravely, and many echoed his statement. The rest of the Royal Guards, who were not involved in the plot, now looked at each other suspiciously, wondering if there was another traitor in their ranks.  
  
Shake and the others who have been discussing quietly amongst themselves knew that until they could find out the whole truth, Yuffie would be safe if nobody knew where she was hiding.   
  
"She is also a member of AVALANCHE." Cloud replied as he looked around the room, and saw the silent approval from the guardians. "She will be placed in our protection until we are satisfied with her safety."  
  
"This is all a trick! A trick I tell you! How could you have known about all this if you are not a part of it?" Kindou, one of the senior members of the council cried out. "You should have told us the moment you got hold of that tape. This matter would have been resolved and Lady Yuffie would never have been in any danger!"  
  
"How do we know that you're not a part of it?" Cloud asked, throwing the question back at the old man. "You have the accomplices here, ask them."  
  
"They will be interrogated accordingly to our law." A voice spoke and Lord Godo watched as Li Xing, one of the elders stood up. "How can you prove the identity of this traitor?"  
  
Vincent escorted the Captain towards the middle of the room. Tasheki looked around, avoiding a few looks of warning and pointed his hands at one of the elders. Kindou, the elder in question stood up in anger as he denied the accusation.   
  
"Silence!" Lord Godo commanded, and the room was once again quiet, but the tension was so thick, and everyone was already on edge. "There is no proof of all this!"  
  
Kindou sat down, shaking in anger as he looked at the Captain. He could feel all eyes on him. He wasn't about to let a group of renegades destroy his ambitions. He noticed a blond woman walking towards Lord Godo and handed him another folder.  
  
Lord Godo accepted the folder, and read the contents. Kindou felt more and more uncomfortable at the expression on Godo's face. He could only look as Godo took his eyes from the report to him, and he knew. He knew at that moment that somehow, his treachery has been discovered.  
  
"Arrest him!" Lord Godo cried out, shaking in fury and the Royal Guards did as they were ordered. "Throw him in jail with the rest of these traitors!"  
  
"I was doing you a favor, Lord Godo. Your daughter would have brought Wutai nothing but shame! Consorting with a mercenary, welcoming the same company that ruined Wutai." He cried out in anger as the guards grabbed him from his seat, and tied his hands behind his back.  
  
Lord Godo walked towards Kindou, eyes filled with calculating hatred. "My daughter was the one that returned to Wutai and rebuilt the city, practically with her own two hands while you sat inside your fancy little house." He snarled as he motioned for the guards to take the disgraced elder away. He looked at the rest of the council carefully; looking at each and everyone that he had considered friends.   
  
"This report not only contained proof of Kindou's treachery, but unfortunately it also implicates a few more people behind this plot. I ask you council, what do you propose I do?"  
  
Li Xing spoke first. "Reveal the traitors." His voice was cold. "The Wutai Council is no place for dark hearts."  
  
Lord Godo nodded, as the rest of the council who were innocent, nodded. The people behind the plot however, waited for their fate as the Lord of Wutai called a senior ranked guard and handed him the file. Falcor could only look at the report in shock, reading the names of the people he once admired. Yuffie's father didn't wait for the arrests to be made as he walked towards the door. His daughter's friends opened the door for him and he briefly heard voices begging for forgiveness, and then nothing, as the golden doors shut once again.  
  
*-*-  
  
Tifa felt as if she spent an eternity escorting the guilty people to their cells. She prayed briefly that Reno and Yuffie got away safely, and managed to hide in the cave Cloud found yesterday. Yuffie was still in danger, and now Lord Godo himself could be a target. She walked towards her room when she realized that Yuffie's door was open. She looked inside and saw Lord Godo sitting on Yuffie's bed, while holding a teddy bear. Lord Godo looked up at her, and looked down again.  
  
"Did you know where she got this?" He asked her softly. Tifa walked inside and looked at the bear.  
  
"I think Vincent won her that, over a year ago."   
  
Lord Godo nodded, still looking at the bear. "I envy you, and your friends." He said softly. "I don't know my own daughter. If you and your friends didn't stumble on that information..."  
  
Tifa just stood there, not knowing what to say. She wanted to apologize for even thinking of him as a suspect. Lord Godo sensed her discomfort and spoke first. "It's alright. You had every right to suspect me. My own council! How could I have not suspected anything?"  
  
The anger that Lord Godo had been trying to control was slowly breaking loose. "I trusted those men, I trusted Yuffie with the Captain to keep her safe!"  
  
"Yuffie's going to be safe, as soon as Cloud and Rude finished with what they're doing, they'll send a message to Reno, and they'll come back." Tifa said softly, trying to ease his mind.  
  
Lord Godo sighed as he finally looked at Tifa. "Do you think that he loves her?"  
  
Tifa blinked. "Well... I really don't know him that well." She replied carefully, wondering if she should tell Godo the truth. "They have a very strange relationship."  
  
"I was surprised when Alec told me about this fiancé. She wouldn't even give me a name." He told her, attention back to the stuffed animal. "My daughter went out to gather materia, saved the world, returned to rebuild Wutai... I just couldn't believe that my daughter... my baby had a fiancé." Lord Godo laughed, yet the laughter was tinged with sadness. "My baby had grown up, and I never even knew..."  
  
Tifa remained silent, not knowing what to say to comfort Yuffie's father.  
  
*-*-  
  
  
Yuffie could feel that she was moving... she wasn't moving, but she was on something that was moving. She could also feel strong arms around her, and a familiar scent filled her senses. She opened her eyes, and tried to adjust her eyes in the darkness.  
  
"Finally awake?"  
  
"Reno? What.. where am I?"  
  
"You've been stabbed." He replied instead as they continued to ride the chocobo. "Do you remember that?"  
  
"By Captain Tasheki." She replied softly, and her eyes widened as she remembered something else. "I saw Vincent... "  
  
"He came as Cait Sith took you off," He replied. "You've pissed of quite a few people,   
You know that?"  
  
"I don't understand... is Godo alright?"  
  
Reno didn't answer her for a while. "He's fine."  
  
"Captain Tasheki tried to kill me." Yuffie whispered, as she leaned back on Reno. "I thought he was my friend."  
  
"Welcome to the real world, sugar."  
  
"He was saying something... about abolishing the council... I just couldn't understand what he was saying! Reno, he tried to kill me!"  
  
"I know that. Why do you think Cloud and the others were missing from the ceremony? They were trying to save your ass..."  
  
Yuffie groaned, her head aching. "I don't understand anything!"  
  
"Understand this, there are people in the council who wanted you dead. They've been plotting your assassination for weeks. If Reeve didn't find out accidentally, you'd be dead   
by now."  
  
Yuffie listened in shock. "Who?"  
  
"Kindou sound familiar to you?"  
  
Yuffie nodded. "But why?"  
  
"That's what Cloud and the others are going to find out. Until then, you and me are going camping."  
  
"I want to go home. I need to know..."  
  
"Listen, your father never even knew that his dear council wanted you dead. There are more people involve, and until we get all the information we need, you have to hide. The people you trust ain't exactly what they seem to be."   
  
"I don't believe this, I can't believe any of this. They tried to kill me?" Yuffie asked, her voice shaking with anger. "When I get my hands on them..."  
  
"Whatever, Yuffie. Until then, you have to stay hidden."  
  
"Ummm, Reno?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Where are we going?" She asked, not exactly sure where Reno was going.  
  
"Cloud spotted a cave not far from here, I've taken the liberty of taking a few of your clothes, and we are going to be staying there until we know who exactly is your enemy."  
  
Yuffie didn't say anything, her mind processing the events hours ago, to her discovery that there were people in the council who wanted her dead. Did she do anything wrong? Why? She tried to stop thinking about the situation, wishing that everything was just a big mistake. She didn't realize that she was shaking until Reno stroke her back.  
  
"Relax, Yuffie. We're almost there."  
  
She tried to smile, as she closed her eyes. "Hey Reno, I guess this means that you might have to stay in Wutai a little while longer."  
  
"I guess so, why?"  
  
"I don't think I can pay you more than another forty gil,"   
  
Reno heard the need for Yuffie to relax, to forget everything if only for a moment. "Don't worry about it, I'll just hold you for ransom."  
  
Yuffie didn't know why, but she started laughing. /I'm going crazy./  
  
The chocobo came to a halt, and Reno jumped down, and helped Yuffie. The moment she stood on the ground, her knees gave away and she would have fallen completely to the ground, if Reno didn't catch her. She took a deep breath and stood up. "Thanks,"  
  
Reno just nodded and pointed to the cave. "Come on inside, you need to change."  
  
She followed Reno inside the cave, and was surprised to see two futons, and a box filled with food. "Did this just this afternoon. Spike's idea."  
  
She looked around, and saw her clothes neatly piled on a futon and looked with dismay at what she was wearing. "Ayami told me that Godo gave this to my mother as a birthday gift. My mother wore this for god knows how long, I use it once, and now it's ruined!"  
Yuffie reached for her crown, surprised that it was still on her head and took it off.  
  
Reno didn't reply as he walked out of the cave to hide the chocobo that they used. Yuffie wrinkled her nose in disgust as she took her gown off, and started to change into something more comfortable to wear. Reno walked in, just in time to see Yuffie closing the button of her pants. "You okay?"  
  
She looked up at him and nodded. "I guess. I don't know what to think... Why would they want to kill me?"  
  
Reno shrugged as he sat on his futon. "Well, you'll soon know." He replied.  
  
The two of them stayed silent, and Yuffie sighed as she sat on her own futon. "I'm hungry."  
  
"We've got fruits, a few bread, and everything that comes in a can."  
  
Yuffie stood up and walked towards the box and started sorting out the food. "What do you want?"  
  
"Nothing, I'm fine."   
  
Yuffie took an apple and sat back on her futon. "How long are we going to be here?"  
  
"A day or two. Maybe more, why? You got somewhere you need to go?"  
  
"No... "  
  
She ate in silence as Reno leaned back against the wall and looked out of the cave. There were a million things that were rushing through her head, and despite learning that there was a threat to her life and that she was nearly killed; she also realized that half the people she trusted, like the Captain was a traitor. She was betrayed by someone she considered a friend, and she had never felt betrayed before. She looked at Reno, who was   
still looking out, almost as if he was waiting for something, or someone to come. She looked at the scars beneath his eyes and wondered how he got it. She continued to stare at him, and wondered if his hair was soft to touch... she turned away as she felt her cheeks grow warm. /Gawd, I nearly died and I'm checking out Reno? I must be going crazy./  
  
Reno could hear Yuffie eating quietly, and decided that looking out of the cave was better than looking at her. She didn't know the full details yet, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to tell her everything. What was he supposed to say? Oh, by the way. Your father is a suspect. He took a deep breath, but he could feel her eyes on him. He ignored her, and continued to look out wondering when he would get the call from Cloud.   
  
Both Yuffie and Reno stiffened as they heard a loud noise. Reno instantly recognized it as a helicopter and snarled. He had a sneaking suspicion who it was. They both stood up, and Reno adjusted the settings to his nightstick, and dragged Yuffie to the darkness. They both waited as they heard footsteps and voices. As the voices became clearer, Reno smirked. He was right.  
  
Alec Kitani walked inside the cave and knew at that very moment where Yuffie was. The gown that she was wearing was folded neatly, along with the crown. His eyes narrowed as he saw the other bed, and knew who was with her. /Where could they be?/  
  
His eyes scanned the cave, and smirked. "I know you're here. You can come out now."  
  
Reno walked out from the darkness, hands on his nightstick. He kept Yuffie close behind him and smiled. "Alec, what brings you to our humble home?"  
  
Alec ignored him and looked at Yuffie. "I'm here to take Yuffie back. Her friends have caught the people responsible for the attempt on her life."  
  
"That's sweet of you, but as you can see, she's perfectly fine."  
  
Yuffie looked at Alec and briefly wondered if he played a part in the assassination attempt.   
  
Alec walked closer, but Reno pointed the nightstick at Alec and moved left, Yuffie still behind him. "Give her to me. Her father entrusted me with her safety, and I will not fail him."  
  
"I'm staying with Reno." Yuffie spoke out; looking at Alec's violet eyes and saw them glint dangerously.  
  
"I've been nothing but a gentleman to you, Yuffie. But this time, I'm afraid I have no choice. I have to take you back, by force if necessary."  
  
Reno snorted. "You? A gentleman? Gentlemen don't challenge ladies for a date."  
  
Alec called his bodyguards and looked at Reno. "Do you really think you can handle all of us?" He asked, as five other men walked menacingly towards Reno, who just laughed.  
  
"You really crack me up." Without warning, Reno attacked the one to his left, using only one hand to fight with his nightstick, his other hand holding Yuffie by the wrist, who kicked another man coming towards them. Unknown to Alec and his bodyguards, Reno was skillfully choreographing the movements that allowed him and Yuffie to be closer to the exit. When they realized what happened, it was already too late as Reno flashed a cocky grin and trapped Alec's bodyguards in pyramids.   
  
Alec looked in anger realizing that he had lost, and could only stare as Reno and Yuffie ran out of the cave. He took a radio out of his pocket and ordered more men, giving their location. He walked outside just in time to see Reno and Yuffie riding away on a white chocobo.  
  
"How did he know about the cave?" Yuffie asked Reno as he increased their speed.  
  
"I don't know, he's your stalker!" He replied and looked behind him to see if they were being followed.  
  
Yuffie bit her lip as she looked around, and realization suddenly dawned on her. /I've been here before!/ "Reno, go left!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I know this area, go left!"  
  
Reno did what Yuffie asked him and turned the chocobo towards left. "Do you have any idea where we're going?"  
  
Yuffie nodded as she turned around and looked at Reno. "There's another cave towards that end. That's where my mother and I were hidden during the war."  
  
"Does anyone in the council know about that place?"  
  
"Some of the elders do. There's a tunnel that you follow that leads to Da-Chao."  
  
Reno shook his head. "It's too risky."  
  
"It's the only place where we can hide. There's nothing here but trees..."  
  
"How long will it take to reach Da-Chao using the tunnel?"  
  
Yuffie bit her lower lip as she tried to remember. "More than three hours, if you go the right way. I remembered that several fake tunnels were made as well."  
  
They rode in silence, both alert to the possibility that Alec had caught up with them.   
  
"This is it!..." Yuffie cried out, as she stared at the very familiar environment. She looked at the trees, and sure enough, the marks of the Wutai ninja clan were still there, faded but easily recognizable if you knew what you were looking at. They both got off the chocobo almost at the same time, and Yuffie was about to rush in the cave, only to be pulled back by Reno.  
  
"You should really be more careful." He muttered as he walked ahead of her. Reno took out a flashlight from his pocket, and looked around the cave. It looked empty and abandoned, but there were still a few material things that were left behind. He saw torches along the wall towards the back of the cave, and used his fire materia to light a few.  
  
Yuffie on the other hand, was too lost in her memories. She could barely remember everything, but looking around her, she could almost see the place as it was those years ago. She closed her eyes, and suddenly felt cold.  
  
"Hey, you okay?"   
  
She turned towards Reno and nodded her head. "I... I was just remembering something," Yuffie replied softly. "I think we'll be safe here... "  
  
Reno nodded and looked at the five tunnels. One of them lead back to the heart of Wutai, and the others were dead-ends. "Now, we wait."  
  
Yuffie walked closer to Reno. "Hey, I... I just want to say thanks."  
  
He shrugged. "I did it for Reeve, without you in Wutai, he's finished."  
  
"Oh."   
  
There was an awkward silence as Yuffie walked away, and sat on the floor. Seeing that there was nothing else to do, he did the same and sat next to her. "So we'll basically just have to wait for Cloud to say it's okay to return?"  
  
"Yep." Reno replied as he tried to relax, and cursed Kitani. The first cave that they used had everything. Here, they had nothing. He would like to have given himself a pat on the back for finding the proof against the elders. Being a cold blooded Turk did have many advantages. He could hardly believe how easy it was. That bastard Kindou had a brilliant plot, but he was too stupid enough not to get rid of the evidence.  
  
He looked at Yuffie and wondered how she could have fallen asleep so fast. Against his better judgment, he moved her head so that it rested on his shoulders. He was really starting to consider holding the girl for ransom. Reno raked his hands through his hair.   
  
/Shit, I knew I should have turned her down./  
  
He recalled the day she came to his office. The moment she walked in, he remembered being quite surprised. She still looked like the little materia-hunting brat, but there was something else, which was why he accepted her offer. She intrigued him. There was something in her eyes, in the way that she moved that day... He didn't know what, all he knew was that he was going to get paid, and he had two weeks to figure out what the hell it is about Yuffie Kisaragi that he found fascinating.   
  
Reno snorted softly. The more that he spent time with her, he just found more questions, but no answers. She was just... different. She could be a whining brat one second, and be responsible the next. He had to admit; she looked very pretty when she blushed. It was also fun to see how much he can get any sort of reaction out of her. Yuffie would probably kill him if she found out that he spent almost all night watching her sleep, after coming home from the club. He didn't even know why he did it; he just found it quite comforting.  
  
/The sooner I get out of here, the better. I'm going to go insane if I stay.../  
  
His gaze traveled to her lips, and wondered what kind of a kisser she was. Had she ever been kissed before? /Shit. I am going insane./  
  
Reno settled on watching the bare wall, and listened to Yuffie's breathing.  
  
A few hours later, Yuffie blinked, and opened her eyes. Had she been sleeping on Reno's shoulder? She felt cold, and as she strained her ears, she realized that it was raining.   
  
"How was your nap?"  
  
"Okay... did you sleep?"  
  
"Turks never sleep on a job."  
  
Yuffie stared at the wall, and suddenly grinned. "How the hell did you all work together without killing each other?"  
  
Reno smirked. "You don't want to know. I really should get a pay rise, you know."  
  
There was nothing again but silence. Yuffie rubbed her hands to generate heat. The fire from the torches wasn't enough anymore, and the silence was killing her. The assassination attempt, the betrayal of Tasheki was once again on her mind, and she closed her eyes, wanting to forget. She didn't want to remember what happened. She looked up at Reno who was still staring at the wall.   
  
"Reno, you want to play a game?"  
  
He looked down at her. "What?"  
  
"A game. I'm bored, and it's too quiet..." She replied softly.  
  
Reno looked back at the wall and sighed. /I'm going to regret this./ "What do you have in mind?"  
  
"Twenty questions, I ask you answer..."  
  
"I'm familiar with the game, played it a few times my self."  
  
Yuffie looked at him. "Played as in game, not played as in interrogation."  
  
"I played both, if you must know. So, any questions? No holds barred?"  
  
Yuffie nodded her head. "Okay, I ask first. Favourite color?"  
  
Reno laughed at her question, but answered it nonetheless. "Black. My turn, favorite  
sport?"   
  
"Materia-hunting!"  
  
"That's not a sport..."  
  
Yuffie grinned. "It is to me! Favorite movie?"  
  
"Anything with a blood-fest." He replied and chuckled at the look of distaste on Yuffie's face. "Favorite weapon?"  
  
"My Conformer! Fave food?"  
  
"Anything spicy. First crush?"  
  
Yuffie turned bright red. "Excuse me?"  
  
Reno smirked as he looked at the girl. "This is your game, sugar. I was just playing along. You don't answer and game's over."  
  
She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. "Vincent."  
  
/I knew it,/ Reno felt his fists clench as Yuffie thought about her next question.   
  
"First date?"  
  
"Local no-name restaurant in Midgar. Forgot the name. First kiss?"  
  
Yuffie blushed again. "None."  
  
He looked at her in surprise. "You're kidding me."  
  
"No, I'm not! It's true!"  
  
"You've never been kissed?"  
  
Yuffie shook her head. "First love?"  
  
"None!"  
  
"Come on, with all those women you dated? Not one?"  
  
Reno looked at her. "Just because I dated them doesn't mean I felt anything." Before Yuffie could say anything, he delivered his next question. "Favorite fantasy?"  
  
Yuffie smiled. "To own and control all the materia in the world!"  
  
The redhead didn't know if he should laugh or not.   
  
"First job?"  
  
"I can tell you, but I'm gonna have to kill you." He replied, his voice suddenly loosing its' playful tone.   
  
Yuffie stared at Reno. "Is it with the Turks?"  
  
"No. Favorite toy?"  
  
The ninja blinked at his question. "I don't know I used to have a magic eight ball.  
I guess that was my favorite. You?"  
  
"I never had toys." He replied, thinking of his next question.   
  
The two of them fell into silence once more. Yuffie knew she was pushing it, but she couldn't help it. "Reno, what do you think you'd be if you didn't join the Turks and... Well, had a normal life?"  
  
Reno took a deep breath, slightly surprised at the seriousness of her question. "A guitar player." He expected her to laugh, but she didn't. "I used to play the guitar. I stopped playing when I joined the Turks. I don't even know where it is anymore. What about you, what do you think you'd be doing if the Wutai-Shinra shit never happened?"  
  
"I'd be with my mother." She replied softly. "Maybe... maybe I'd even be married by now, she married Godo when she turned sixteen." She looked at him, and she couldn't help but admire how gorgeous his blue eyes were. "Reno?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Yuffie felt her palms sweat. "How... how did you..."  
  
"Get my scars?" He turned towards her and saw the discomfort on her face, the flush of her cheeks, and the redness of her lips. He looked away before answering. "I was double-crossed on my first job for a second-rate gang. I thought I could trust my so-called brothers, but they just left me in the ditch."  
  
Yuffie wanted to ask another question, but decided that it was better if she shut her mouth. The silence was really getting to her and she looked at Reno who was just staring at her. There was something... she couldn't tell what, but there was something in the way that he was looking at her that made her want to just wrap her arms around him. Before she could stop herself. Her hands reached up to trace the scars lightly with her fingertips.   
  
Reno didn't stop her, he didn't know what the hell was going on, but he couldn't move away to save himself. He moved closer, and soon the fingers that were tracing his scars moved to his cheeks, down to his lips. She quickly pulled her hand away, but his hand grabbed hers, and pulled her closer.   
  
She was hypnotized by his eyes, she didn't protest when he pulled her towards him, she didn't know what was happening, all she knew was that she wanted something to happen, he leaned closer, and she felt a shivering sensation in her body as he brushed his lips gently against hers.   
  
"Reno..." Her voice was soft and gentle, and at right at that very moment, he didn't give a damn about the world. He felt his eyes close as her lips gently caressed his eyelids, and he felt something hit him, the pleasure that her kiss gave was nothing compared to anything that he had experienced with other women. She repeated that same gentle caress, and Reno desperately tried   
to hold on to his control.  
  
"What are you doing to me, Yuffie?" He asked softly, his voice smooth and dangerous, but Yuffie knew she had nothing to fear. Her hands wrapped around him as he pulled her even closer, his lips touched hers, and he felt as if the whole world disappeared and the ground beneath them opened up, and they had nothing else, but each other. /What have you done to me?/  
  
*TbC*  
  
So, how was it? I'm not sure about the kiss on the eyelids thing, but according to Cosmo, for some guys getting kissed there is as good as doing the deed. Can't exactly say from experience, but let me grab a boy somewhere and I'll get back to all of you on that... ^__^  
  
  
And yes, the white chocobo... I couldn't help it.  
  
Thanks to your comments! 


	12. Chapter12

Standard Disclaimers Apply.   
  
  
Playing With Fire  
Chapter 12  
  
  
Warm calloused hands touched her cheek, and Yuffie moaned as she tightened her embrace. She was lost in a haze of warmth, and she could feel herself getting more and more lost at each sensation she was feeling.  
  
"Reno... pick up, damn it..."  
  
Reno pressed his lips harder against Yuffie, ignoring the distant and irritating voice until his radio emitted an ear piercing sound. They both jumped, and practically scrambled away from each other as they both tried to collect their thoughts. Yuffie was looking at him, eyes wide open and hair in a mess. Her lips were parted slightly and the only thing that stopped him from kissing her again was the loud voice from the radio.  
  
"Pick up, you asshole!"  
  
Yuffie just stared as Reno yanked the radio behind his pocket and practically snarled at the caller. "This better be good, Strife."  
  
Cloud could hear the hostility clearly; the reception was quite good despite the light rain. "I was just calling to check up on you. How's Yuffie?"  
  
Reno stood up and walked out of the cave, knowing that there would be a part of their conversations not meant for Yuffie to hear. He looked at the cave, making sure that Yuffie didn't follow him. "Keep your voice down unless you want Yuffie to hear everything."  
  
"How is she? Damn it, Reno! I've been calling you... what the hell were you doing not answering your radio?"  
  
Reno smirked. "Wow, Strife... I never knew you cared."  
  
"It's Yuffie that I was worried about! How is she?"  
  
"She's fine." Reno replied and tried to erase the feeling of having Yuffie so close to him. "What's going on?"  
  
There was a moment of silence. "Godo checks out fine, the bastards are behind bars and the council's debating if they should have a trial, or just have them executed."  
  
"A trial, What for? They're as guilty as hell!"  
  
"I know that!" Cloud snapped. "But apparently, in politics, things are done differently. Listen, something's not adding up here... Everyone gave the same story that they felt Yuffie would just cause another downfall for Wutai and that she's going to abolish the council... it sounds too rehearsed. We both know that there are more people involve..."  
  
Reno stayed silent, his gaze never leaving the entrance of the cave. "So you're saying that there's another motive?"  
  
"Yes... even if they have a trial, it's going to take weeks... we've decided that it would probably best to bring Yuffie back..."  
  
"Hold on a sec, we? I don't remember being asked."  
  
"Be reasonable. It could take weeks, or even months for us to get to the bottom of this! They're hiding something, Reno. I doubt if they'll talk. We can't hide Yuffie forever..."  
  
"I'll take her out of Wutai, then."  
  
Cloud groaned. "And just where are you going to hide Yuffie? Listen, the other people behind this know that you're with her. All they have to do is to go to another bounty hunter... you and Yuffie would only be vulnerable..."  
  
Reno's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying I can't protect Yuffie, punk?"  
  
"I didn't say that!" Cloud snapped at Reno. "What I'm saying is that it's too dangerous for the two of you to be alone. Listen; if she's in Wutai, people are bound to be more protective of her. The others can't risk hurting her here, not anymore. Everyone's suspicious of one another... Besides, I heard about what Kitani did. You have no supplies..."  
  
Reno gritted his teeth as he listened to Cloud. "I'm not taking her back unless everything's clear."  
  
"Damn it, Reno! Aren't you listening to me? She's going to be much safer here than being out there!"  
  
"No."  
  
Cloud lost his temper. "Stupid bastard! Listen to me! Bring Yuffie back now, or heaven help me it's..."  
  
Whatever Cloud was going to say was stopped as he heard a scuffle; there were voices in the background. Reno smirked as he heard Cid's ever present profanities, what surprised him was the voice that spoke clearly from the radio. "Cloud is correct. The risk of Yuffie getting hurt in Wutai has decreased."  
  
Reno clenched his jaw. "Valentine."  
  
"Think carefully. You know very well that bringing her back home is the safest option."  
  
Reno hated to admit it, but the ex-Turk was correct. "Fine. We'll be taking a slightly different route. Don't bother calling, we'll just surprise you." He turned the radio off and walked back inside to find Yuffie looking at something on the wall. /Now what?/  
  
She looked at him, not quite meeting his gaze. "What did he say?"  
  
"You'll be safer there than out here." He replied, walking towards her, but stopped a few feet away. The last thing that he needed was to be near her, even if that was what he wanted. "Do you know the way back using those?"  
  
Yuffie nodded, her fingers tracing a pattern on the wall. "Yes, there's a coded instruction, we can use them with no problems at all."  
  
The two of them stood in silence, and Reno cursed himself. /I never should have taken this job./ He grabbed one of the torches and looked at the tunnels. "Which one?"  
  
"That one," Yuffie said confidently, pointing at the second tunnel. "There should be another instruction when we reach a corner."  
  
Reno nodded and stopped himself before he reached for her hand. "Let's go."  
  
Yuffie followed him, thankful for the distance between them. /What the hell happened back there? What am I supposed to say now? Nice kissing you, can we do it again?/  
The young woman blushed, mortified at her thoughts. She tried not to look at him, but focused on the path before them. She never felt this way before, not with Vincent. She didn't even know what she was feeling. As they went deeper and deeper into the tunnel, Yuffie started taking deep breaths. Reno stopped and looked behind, only to see Yuffie practically in a verge of panic.   
  
"Are you claustrophobic?"  
  
Yuffie just stayed still, and nodded her head. Reno sighed as he looked at her. She was just full of contradictions and surprises. She can fight her way out of a mob, be clever enough to take materia from other people, charm her way into the hearts of many... and here she was... Lady Yuffie Kisaragi, shivering from fear of enclosed spaces.   
  
"Everything's going to be fine, Yuffie." He said softly, and noticed that she wouldn't meet his gaze. He walked closer to her and raised her chin up, and stared into her gray eyes. "Everything's going to be fine."  
  
Yuffie nodded, and Reno walked ahead, again putting the safe distance between them. He was confused. Thankfully, Yuffie didn't seem eager to talk about what happened. He didn't even know what happened. All he knew was that he had never been kissed that way before... hell, what they did wasn't even really kissing... His hands clenched the torch as they continued to walk. He'd been with women more experienced, more beautiful, more everything... but he knew that what he felt with those women didn't even come close to compare with happened between him and Yuffie. /It's the situation. Lonely girl, sober man who needed a drink.../  
  
"Wait."  
  
He turned around to see Yuffie feeling the drawings with her fingertips, and recalled how gentle her touch was when she touched his scars. /She was lonely and I needed a drink./  
  
"We go right next, then left."  
  
Reno nodded and they resumed their journey.   
  
Yuffie watched Reno and opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. What was she supposed to say anyway? What would have happened if Cloud didn't call?  
Yuffie sighed, and imagined what it would have felt like if it was Vincent that kissed her, but somehow, every time she forced her brain to picture Vincent, it was Reno that was popping out. His blue eyes, the scar... everything about him. Her fingers traced her lips, and she marveled at how soft and gentle his kiss was. /Snap out of it!/ She silently commanded herself. /Someone just tried to kill you, damn it! Think about that!/  
  
But all Yuffie could think about was Reno.  
  
*-*-  
  
Cloud swore as he gripped his radio so hard, Tifa was afraid it would break. "Stupid bastard! He turned his radio off!"  
  
"I'm sure they're fine," Tifa reasoned as she walked next to him.   
  
He looked at Tifa and frowned. "Did you hear what he was saying? He was actually thinking of taking Yuffie out of Wutai! And where the hell is he supposed to hide her?  
They're both too high profile to just hide! The press will have a field day, I think Shake was seriously considering banning the media in Wutai!"  
  
"You can't blame him..."  
  
"Something's still not right. I know we're missing something, but what? The rest of the employees have checked out fine... Where the hell did they get the idea that Yuffie was going to abolish the council?"  
  
"Maybe they saw how independent she was..."  
  
"You mean stubborn?"  
  
Tifa scowled at Cloud. "No... I think it's because they were afraid of change, and that was what Yuffie was doing. Seeing Reno as her secret fiancé probably pushed them to think that she was going to do more harm than good."  
  
The AVALANCHE leader punched his fists lightly against the balcony railing. "I hope we made the right choice."  
  
"We did, Cloud. It's the best option left. Letting Reno and Yuffie to stay out there is too risky. Here, everyone would be watching out for Yuffie. She'll probably hate that, but you know it's true."  
  
Cloud nodded. He just had to look at the angry mob demanding an outright execution for the people behind the assassination plot. He could hardly believe the stories he heard about Yuffie. He knew it wasn't fair, but he never thought about her besides being a bratty materia-hunter. Tifa was right. The threat is still out there, but with practically all of the people of Wutai as her protectors, she was safer here than anywhere else.  
  
*-*-  
  
Reno didn't know how long they've been walking, all he knew what that he was tired, and the silence was killing him. Then again, there really was nothing to talk about. It seemed as if they had an unspoken agreement not to talk about what happened back there, no matter how much they want to talk about it. He heard Yuffie stop, and he turned around to see her tracing the codes again.  
  
"We're almost there, we should see some sort of stairs... it leads to Da-Chao."  
  
Yuffie watched as Reno nod, and turned his back on her and continued walking. She supposed that this was better. She didn't know what she'd say anyway. If there was one thing she hated other than silence, it was an awkward conversation. Reno stopped and pointed the torch at the direction of the stairs. /I'm home..../  
  
"Stay behind me, got it?"  
  
She nodded and walked closer to him as they climbed up the stairs. Reno reached a big wooden door with a metal lock. He took his fire materia and melted it, and gave the door a hard kick. They squinted their eyes at the bright light, and Reno took Yuffie's hand. He ignored the warmth and the feeling that it was giving him and continued to walk up. They could hear noises... and Reno took his nightstick out as a precaution. When they walked out of a hidden passage, they both stopped and looked at the crowd who were screaming at each other.   
  
"Kill them!" One man shouted, and he was greeted by applause.  
  
"No! We still have to uphold the law. They must be put on trial and it should be decided if they should be executed or banished!" Another person shouted.  
  
"What are they doing?" Yuffie whispered as they watched the crowd from their hiding spot.  
  
"Deciding the fate of your enemies." Reno replied, debating if they should make their presence known, or call for back up. As the crowd started getting louder, everyone began to be more hostile against each other, and Yuffie closed her eyes, almost as if she was blocking the scene out of her mind. Before he can stop her, she walked away from the safety of the shadows and revealed herself. Reno followed her, and stood behind Yuffie as one by one, the crowd noticed her presence.   
  
There was silence, and a roar of applause echoed in Reno's ears, as joyful shouts filled the piazza. Yuffie took his hands and gripped it tight before walking towards the crowd.  
Everyone had tears of happiness in their eyes as they saw their Lady alive and well. He stayed close to Yuffie as people started bowing before her, shaking her hand... and Yuffie could only smile in return, touch at the reaction she was getting.   
  
What surprised Reno was when the people started thanking him, and practically kissed his shoes when they bowed before him, offering their thanks for keeping their Lady safe.   
The crowd seemed to part, and at other end, Yuffie's father stood, followed by AVALANCHE. He could make out Elena and Rude at the back, still on guard, looking at any suspicious movements. Time seemed to stop, as Yuffie released his hand and walked towards her father, who walked to meet her. And like in those heart-warming family oriented movies that he hated to watch, Yuffie cried as she embraced her father, who held on to Yuffie like there was no tomorrow.   
  
*-*-  
  
"For the last time, get out of my room!" Reno snapped at Cait Sith who had been nagging him since he came back. He wanted nothing more than to take a shower and rest, but that mechanical jerk was making it difficult for him.   
  
Cait Sith pouted as he looked down on Reno, lying on his bed with his arms across his forehead. "Aww, come on Reno. Tell me about being Yuffie's hero!"  
  
"I'm not Yuffie's anything." He muttered as he closed his eyes, his mind returning to the kiss. /Damn it! I don't even consider that a kiss! I know what a kiss is, and that wasn't one!/ But whatever it was, he wanted it again.  
  
"Don't be so shy, Reno!"  
  
Reno didn't reply but gave Cait Sith a dark glare, and Cait simply gave a cheeky grin before walking out. "Oh well, I'll just visit Yuffie then!"  
  
"Leave her alone, you stupid mog! She needs to sleep." He yelled as Elena and Rude entered his room. "I swear Reeve was high on something when he created that!"  
  
"Give him a piece of credit. He does come in handy sometimes." Elena replied as they heard the front door slam. "So, how are you?"  
  
Reno closed his eyes. "Fine."  
  
It's been almost an hour since father and daughter got reunited, and the last time he saw Yuffie, her father and the other guardians were dragging her back to the palace. He saw her looking for him through the crowd, but decided to stay out of her sight, for now. They both needed space, and time to clear their minds. /What the hell am I saying?/  
  
"So, you're attending the dinner tomorrow night?" Rude asked and Reno looked at him. "Private dinner, along with AVALANCHE."  
  
"You go, that's an order. Represent the Turks. I'm leaving tomorrow morning."  
  
Elena's jaw drop. "If you're not going, we're not going! And where the hell are you planning to go?"  
  
"You and Rude will go, and that's final. I need to get back to the office. I've been away too long. There are things that I need to do."  
  
Elena was about to protest, but stopped when Rude placed an arm on her shoulder.   
  
"What about Yuffie?"  
  
Reno closed his eyes again. "I'll talk to her later."  
  
He didn't hear Rude reply; all he heard was the sounds of footsteps walking away.  
  
"What the hell have you done to me, Yuffie?"  
  
*-*-  
  
Lady Yuffie Kisaragi sneezed as Ayami covered her with her blanket. Yuffie frowned as the old woman checked her temperature and shook her head. "What?"   
  
"Just making sure you're not coming down with a fever." Ayami looked at Yuffie and smiled gently. "I'm glad you're safe."  
  
Yuffie took the old woman's hand and gave a reassuring smile. "You know what a tough tomboy I am, you said so yourself!"  
  
Ayami laughed as she patted Yuffie's hand. "You rest now so you can join your friends later. They're all resting, none of us slept... we were all worried about you and that handsome young fiancé of yours!"  
  
Yuffie hid her face beneath the blanket to cover her blush as she remembered their kiss.   
She heard Ayami chuckle before she walked out of the door. She stayed beneath the blankets, her mind trying to remember what happened. A small smile formed on Yuffie's lips. /My first kiss.../  
  
She bit her lip, and suddenly frowned. So what happens now? What does that kiss do?   
/Damn it... it's not like there's anything between us... or anything,/  
  
From enemy to hired fiancé, to what? Yuffie groaned as she curled up underneath the blankets. /I have other things to think about. I can't think of something like this... not when I have bigger responsibilities to Wutai.../  
  
"I don't even know his real name." Yuffie muttered as she closed her eyes.  
  
"Miguel Reno the second, at your service."  
  
Yuffie's eyes widened as she sat up, and looked at Reno leaning against the wall. "What...."  
  
He shrugged as he walked closer, and sat on the edge of her bed. "I couldn't sleep. I thought I should warn you that Cait's planning to come over."   
  
"Oh... thanks,"   
  
They both avoided looking at each other, and Reno reached for the teddy bear beside Yuffie. "You sleep next to this?"  
  
Yuffie nodded, and looked at Reno. For once, she wasn't keen on saying who it was from, when weeks ago, she made sure that everyone knew that Vincent won it for her. She didn't exactly tell Shake that she forced Vincent by threatening to steal his materia. He didn't need to know that.  
  
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning."  
  
Yuffie looked at him. "Aren't you staying for dinner?"  
  
"Can't. Turk business to attend to." Reno replied. "Besides, I've heard that security around here has increased. That and I think Alec's out of the picture now..."  
  
Yuffie didn't know what to say as she continued to look at Reno, who stood up. "I just wanted to tell you that. Give you time to get my fee together..."  
  
"Of course," She replied, and looked down quickly. "I'll give it to you tomorrow. Is six good enough?"  
  
"Yeah, that's fine... I need to get out of here as soon as possible."  
  
/What am I supposed to expect? A declaration of love?/ Yuffie forced a smile as she looked at him. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."  
  
Reno just winked as he climbed out of her bedroom window. He carefully scaled the walls down and tried not to look back at Yuffie's window as he made his way back into the villa. There was no reason for him to stay, if anything else, what happened back in the cave was a very good reason for him to leave. This was real life, and he knew that Yuffie realized as well that there was no way anything can happen between them. He had no time for a fling, or any relationship. Which was what he liked about one night stands. No commitments, no feelings, just a night of pleasure, and it's back to work the next day.  
  
The sooner he leaves, the better. Then he didn't have to see Yuffie everyday. Out of sight, out of mind, right?   
  
*-*-  
  
Yuffie wiped a stray tear away. /Why the hell am I crying?/  
  
She curled up underneath her blanket again and clutched Vinnie the bear. This was no time for romantic fantasies of any sort. She had Wutai to think about. She'll be doing official visits and everything. /But I want something to happen.../  
  
Yuffie shut her eyes tight. /I like him.../ She opened her eyes and stared at the bear.  
"What do you think, Vinnie?" She whispered. Reno was just different; there were so many sides to him that she never thought existed. The way he played with the kids...  
She didn't know him that well when she hired him, she still didn't know a lot about him, all she knew was that she wanted to know him.   
  
"What do I do now?"  
  
The bear just stared at Yuffie and she closed her eyes again, and drifted into her dreams.   
  
*tBc*  
  
First, I would like to scream and shout. Senegal won against France! YES!  
France is a pretty good team; it's just that I can't get over the fact that they beat Brazil in the finals years ago. Hehehe, I'm still recovering from that.  
  
Next, I would like to thank everyone again for your kind comments. I am currently taking suggestions on how we can kill and torment Alec... Oh, and all throughout the match, I just kept thinking how good the FF7 male characters would look in soccer jerseys. I had this idea that popped in my head when I recalled a Nike soccer commercial years ago. The best soccer players against the devils. Imagine AVALANCHE against Sepiroth... 


	13. Chapter13

No, still don't own them...  
  
*screams* Italy wins!!! Okay, so it's just their first match, but still, with a 2-0 against Ecuador, that should put them up in the lead in their group. Paolo Maldini!!!  
*swoons* His eyes are just to die for! ^_^  
  
Playing With Fire  
Chapter 13  
  
Yuffie checked her watch. It was almost ten, and the guards were about to change shifts. Making sure no one was around, she made her way across the garden.  
  
"Yuffie."  
  
She spun around, and looked in surprise as Vincent Valentine walked from the shadows. "Vinnie, what are you doing here?"  
  
"You should be in bed."  
  
The young ninja pouted as Vincent reached her side. "I just wanted to go for a walk." She muttered as she stared at his red eyes, but could only think of endless blue.   
  
"May I join you?"  
  
Her heart started thumping wildly as she tried to hide a blush. "Sure... "  
  
They began to walk in silence and Yuffie could feel her palms sweating. "Vinnie?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Did... did the Captain tell you why he wanted to kill me?"  
  
Vincent stopped as he looked down at her, the night wind blew his long locks gently, and Yuffie could only stare at him. "I believe you know the answer to that question already."  
  
"But it doesn't make sense! I've never even thought of abolishing the council! I don't think I've done anything wrong..."  
  
"Fear and greed makes men think and act in ways that can not be explained."  
  
Yuffie sighed. "Gawd... I've barely began as Lady Kisaragi and someone wants me dead already."  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah.. oh, and thank you. I'd probably be dead if wasn't for you, and the others..."  
  
"It was Reno that informed me of the assassination attempt. I simply wanted to pass by to congratulate you on your engagement..."  
  
Yuffie laughed. "Oh, you still don't know... I wasn't really engaged to him. I just hired him to get this guy off my back."  
  
Vincent nodded. "I see. I suppose that I should give this to you to commemorate your coronation instead..."  
  
She looked in surprise as Vincent took out a small velvet box, and opened it to reveal a silver necklace. "Vinnie... you shouldn't have!" She felt slightly guilty as Vincent took it out of the box.   
  
"I meant to give this to you as an engagement gift."  
  
"It's very pretty... "  
  
Vincent nodded. "The charm divides into two halves. One is meant for you, and the other for someone special in your heart."   
  
Yuffie just nodded as Vincent walked behind her to fasten the necklace. She closed her eyes as she felt the warm brush of his hand against her neck. She touched the pendant and turned around to look at Vincent with a smile. "Thank you."  
  
"Well, isn't this a romantic scene?"  
  
Yuffie turned around to see Reno with Rude, a beer bottle on his hand.  
  
"What are you doing out here?"  
  
Reno looked at Vincent before turning to face Yuffie with an almost sarcastic expression on his face. "Just wanted to go for a walk, didn't expect to see my fiancé to be with another man."  
  
"Reno, Elena's waiting." Rude spoke, and looked at Reno. The expression on his face was something that he had never seen before. The two of them had just come back from the local pub, and was walking back to the villa when they saw Yuffie and Vincent. It was almost interesting to see Reno's reaction. /Is he... jealous?/  
  
The leader of the Turks gave a snort before walking away. Yuffie opened her mouth to say something, but Vincent's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Speak with him tomorrow when the alcohol is not clouding his mind."  
  
He watched as Yuffie looked at Reno walking away, and realized something. "You're attracted to him."  
  
She quickly spun to look at him, mouth wide open. "Eeeewww, grossness!"  
  
There was an almost melancholic expression on his face as he looked at Yuffie was blushing again. "I saw it in your eyes,"  
  
Yuffie rolled her eyes, then blew at her bangs. "You need to get your eyes checked, Vinnie. You saw it in my eyes? Hah!" She tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, and hoped that Vincent would stop with the subject.  
  
"You looked at him, the way Lucrecia once looked at me." His voice was soft as he looked at the full moon. "She looked at me, the way you looked at him."  
  
Yuffie didn't know what she could say to that.  
  
"I think he feels the same way."  
  
"Really?" She asked, almost to brightly. Realizing how happy she sounded, she gave a shrug. "I mean really? This is Reno we're talking about." She added and pretended she didn't care.  
  
Vincent just looked at her. "Denial can lead to regret." He murmured. "I denied what could have been mine," He said as he looked away from her, almost as if the words were meant for his ears alone. "You should return to bed, Yuffie. It's late."  
  
Yuffie nodded as her hand touched the pendant. "Thanks, Vinnie. I love it." She gave a friendly wave to Vincent and ran back to her room.   
  
Vincent watched the girl disappear into the night before touching his half of a similar looking pendant. His own words haunted him as he looked at the moon. /I denied what should have been mine./  
  
*-*-  
  
Reno slammed the door and swore as he broke the bottle of beer.   
  
"Christ, Reno! What's your problem?" Elena asked as she walked to the living room. "What the hell happened to you?"  
  
"Nothing!" Reno snapped at Elena as he walked towards the bathroom. He washed his hands, and watched as the blood mixed with water disappeared down the drain. Elena and Rude watched in silence as Reno bandaged his hand. He looked back at them and scowled. "What?"  
  
"Nothing..." Elena replied as she looked away. There was no point talking to a pissed Reno. "I got the information you asked for. It's on the table." She told him before walking towards the door. "You should consider staying for dinner tomorrow."  
  
"What for?" He asked. "Vinnie's here."  
  
Elena raised her eyebrows at Reno. Rude gave her a warning glare before she smirked. "Goodnight." /Well, well. Mr. Casanova's feeling rejected. About time./  
  
Reno walked across the room to retrieve the documents Elena got for him. He took a brief glance at it before handing it to Rude. "What do you think?"  
  
He read it briefly before returning it to him. "Not enough, it practically proves nothing."  
  
Reno dropped the documents on the table and sat on the chair. He glanced outside the window, and he could see the moon shining brightly. So what if Yuffie was having a stroll with Valentine. He doesn't care. Why should he? He stood up again and made his way to the door.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
Reno didn't look back at Rude as he opened the door. "I need to get laid."  
  
-*-*  
  
Yuffie cursed herself as she made her way across the gardens again. She was actually going to go back to her room, but realized that she never had the time since Reno's arrival to continue with her experiments. She can't afford to slack off now, not when she was improving so much.   
  
She went in a more secluded part of the garden, one that has been practically abandoned. Wutai still lacked funds, and a garden is hardly as important as houses and schools...  
She rubbed her hands, eager to continue from where she left off. She took something from her pocket and kneeled before a small plant. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She concentrated her energy on two different orbs and felt the familiar surge of energy flow through her. Yuffie placed both hands over the small plant and like magic, the plant grew a few centimeters, and the small bud opened, and a new rose was born.  
  
Yuffie was so deep in her work that she never realized that she was followed.   
  
"What the hell is that?"  
  
Yuffie's eyes opened, and her body shook as if she was electrocuted. Reno ran to her and swore as he felt an invisible barrier around Yuffie.   
  
"Reno? What are you doing here?" She asked, suddenly worried and nervous that he saw what she was doing.  
  
The redhead approached the kneeling girl cautiously, and frowned when he realized there was nothing that was surrounding Yuffie. "What the *#% was that?"  
  
"Nothing..."  
  
"Nothing?" Reno raised one eyebrow as he sat on the ground. "You made that thing grow." He looked at the orbs on her lap. "A restore and earth materia did that?"  
  
Yuffie groaned as she debated if she should tell Reno, when she remembered what her mother said in her dream. She bit her lip as she looked at Reno, who was looking at her intently. "I... I'll tell you, but you have to swear not to tell anyone."  
  
Reno nodded, curious to hear what Yuffie would say.   
  
"I found my mother's journal, just before I left Wutai to look for materia. She wrote a few entries about the many ways she could use materia, and somewhere in the middle of her journal, she mentions using two of them at the same time..."  
  
"Back up. What?"  
  
"Using two at the same time. She doesn't mention how she does it, only that she can. Unfortunately, my mother only used materia because she was told to. She was never interested in them. She also mentioned that she never told anyone that she could do it..."  
  
"So you tried it for yourself?"  
  
Yuffie nodded. "That was another reason why I left Wutai, If I could continue where my mother left off, Wutai will have nothing to worry about! I've been trying since I was fifteen..."  
  
Reno watched as Yuffie sighed. "I've improved... it's just that they don't react the way I expect them to. Like this, I found I could do this by accident when I was mixing and matching. I just can't get seem to come up with any new attacks! It just seems like all I can do is make defensive stuff... I have never ever managed to do an offensive combination attack,"  
  
"Who else knows about this?" Reno asked, the gears in his head started working.   
  
"Just you. I'm serious, Reno. You can't tell anyone!"  
  
Reno nodded as he watched Yuffie sway to her left. He made a move to catch her, but Yuffie held her hands to stop him. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
"Another problem that I can't seem to solve. Every time I finish with my experiments, I feel too tired. When you interrupted me, that feeling was new. I felt as if you hit me with that nightstick of yours..."  
  
"So... this is what you've been doing since you returned?"  
  
Yuffie stood up and brushed the soil from her pants. "Not all the time. There are a lot of things to do around here. Besides, this is the only time I could do this."  
  
"You do realize that coming here alone was stupid, right? After what just happened..."  
  
"I know the risk, besides, I've got more materia with me. Besides, you couldn't come near me, remember?"  
  
Reno nodded. "What was that?"  
  
Yuffie shrugged. "Another thing I still need to solve." Her eyes widened as she saw the bandage. "What the hell happened to you?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
The young ninja rolled her eyes as she grabbed Reno's hand and took the bandage off. It took her a few seconds to heal the wound, ignoring the feel of his hands. "There, good as new."  
  
Reno nodded, and Yuffie wondered again if his hair was soft to touch. His eyes narrowed as he saw the pendant and reached out to touch it. "So, your gift from Valentine..."  
  
"It was supposed to be an engagement gift..." She looked at him as he continued to hold the pendant. "Reno... about last night,"  
  
"What about it?" He asked as looked at her.  
  
She took a deep breath. "I... I don't know."  
  
They both remained silent, not feeling the cold. "I... it's just that I can't get it out of my head."  
  
She wouldn't look at him, and he was surprised to feel that he was enjoying her discomfort, only because he felt the same way even if he wasn't about to show it.  
"Why?"  
  
Yuffie turned red. "I don't know! I didn't... I didn't expect that to happen..."  
  
"But you want it to happen again?"  
  
She didn't answer him, but her silence was enough for him. He walked closer and tilted her chin, and looked at her. "I'm an experienced man, Yuffie. I don't stop at kissing."  
  
Yuffie felt her cheeks flame in shock and embarrassment, sure that the color of her cheeks matched his red hair. She wanted to move away, but she was just stunned at what he said that she just stood there. "What... what's wrong with just kissing?"  
  
"Yuffie?"  
  
Reno quickly pointed his gun at the intruder who raised his arms in surrender.  
  
"Shake?"  
  
The Pagoda Guardian looked at the two with interest. "Sorry, thought I heard some noise. Didn't mean to interrupt."  
  
Yuffie glared at Shake as the young man gave a suggestive wink. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"On my way to the palace. Your father is still awake, you know. There's another emergency meeting. I suggest the two of you go somewhere else. This is the path most of the elders will take..." He gave another wink before he walked away.  
  
Yuffie didn't know if she should thank Shake or strangle him for the interruption. She looked at Reno who was watched their surroundings like a hawk. "I guess... I guess I'll be going back now."  
  
Reno nodded as he took her arm and led her back to her room. "I'm taking you there."  
  
Yuffie was about to protest at being dragged to her own room, but the look on his face stopped her. She was about to ask him something when Reno spoke first.  
  
"Whatever you do, don't look back. I'm taking you inside your place. From now on, stop climbing down from your window. It will only take one sniper to finish you off. Are you sure nobody else knows about your experiments?"  
  
"I'm sure..."  
  
"I followed you, and watched you do it. What makes you sure you were not followed before?"  
  
"I don't know... but I know that nobody else knows about it but you."  
  
Reno didn't push the matter further as they reached inside the palace. Ignoring the look of some members from the council gathering outside, he escorted Yuffie until they reached her door. He opened the door and walked inside.  
  
Once again, there was nothing but silence. "Reno... are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?"  
  
Reno nodded, not looking at Yuffie, but looked around her room as if he was searching for something in particular. "I have many things to get back to."  
  
"Okay... I guess I'll just see you before you leave. I'll have the money then."  
  
He gave another nod as he walked out of her room and closed the door, only to rush back in. "I'm going to regret this..." He muttered as he took Yuffie in his arms and kissed her.  
  
Yuffie's eyes grew wide, before they closed as she placed her arms around Reno, who tightened his embrace. This felt so much different from the night before as he deepened the kiss. She never realized that she moaned and Reno broke the kiss and released her from his arms.   
  
She tried to catch her breath as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "You're going to drive me crazy, you know that?" He whispered in her ear as she tried to collect her thoughts.  
  
He didn't wait for a reply as he walked away and closed the door. Yuffie just stared at the door, not believing what just happened.   
  
"Wow..."  
  
*-*-  
  
tBc...  
  
so... how was this chapter?   
  
I got the whole materia idea when I read Frank Verderosa's series. Great fics, and love the Yuffie/Reno scenes! Also, I think I mentioned this before, that in a website somewhere, they mention that in the game, Yuffie doesn't seem to be affected by a confusion attack, or something like that. Am I making sense? Anyway, for the purpose of this fic, actually... I'm not going to tell you now, I'll tell you later!!  
  
I'd have to dedicate this to Morning Zephyr. Your fic woke me up. Can't wait to read the next chapters. I've been watching soccer since 2.30 in the afternoon just this Sunday until late at night. 3 straight games can take its toll! I checked the site during the half time between Sweden and England, and by the rest of the night, I was just reading your chapter again, as well as working on this. I even missed the next match after England and Sweden...  
  
So, here's to you, mate! If it wasn't for your fic, I would have watched all 4 matches in one go, and I wouldn't have finished this chapter. Thanks for the kick!   
  
Thanks again for all your comments. *waves an Italian flag*  
  
Until next time,  
Joy 


	14. Epilogue

Still don't own them. Squaresoft... does.   
  
  
Playing With Fire  
Chapter 14  
  
Reno leaned against his rented car. So he'll be taking it out of Wutai. He'll just have to remember to leave a very big tip. He didn't know what possessed him to kiss the girl, but there was no way in hell he was going let him self suffer. He simply thought of his reaction to her as mildly curious, rather than very interested. After last night, he wasn't sure. Being a Turk was enough of a commitment. There was no space in his life for a relationship. He looked at the direction of the palace and stood straighter as he watched Yuffie walk towards him, a black bag in her hand.   
  
She smiled nervously at him. "Hi."  
  
Reno nodded as he looked at the dress she was wearing. It looked as if she was going somewhere special. The soft material draped her body, light gray complementing her eyes. The sparkle of the jewelry that adorned her head gave her a halo, and she looked down before speaking again. "Sorry I'm late. Ayami won't let me leave unless I wear this. Apparently, now that I have big important duties, I can't run around in my ninja outfit anymore."  
  
"So, you ready to take on the world?"  
  
Yuffie nodded. "You bet,"  
  
There were a few moments of silence before Reno spoke. "You want to say something else?"  
  
Yuffie gulped. Last night was a complete hell for her after he left. She replayed his kiss on her head, and remembered what Vincent told her. Instead of answering, she reached for the pendant and broke it in half, and handed it to Reno.  
  
"I don't know you, but I want to. I... I mean we didn't exactly have a good start since we tried to kill each other before, but that's all in the past. I don't know why," She stopped as she looked at him straight in the eye. "But I like you."  
  
Reno took the other half and looked at it.  
  
"Vincent told me that I'm supposed to give the other half to someone else..."  
  
"You say you like me? Do you know what I am?"  
  
"No... That's why... that's why I feel confused. I know what you do, and I know what you did, but I like you."  
  
"So, what's this for?" He asked as he showed her the other half in his hand.  
  
"For friendship... and stuff."  
  
Reno chuckled. "For stuff?" He placed the charm in his breast pocket, and Yuffie admired at how he could look messy but still look so good. His red hair was tied behind him in its usual messy manner, Turk uniform worn carelessly. He took his wallet and pulled out a card and handed it to Yuffie. "I blew my first pay check as a cleaner for that. I had that since I was ten, and that card probably costs more than your entire materia collection."  
  
Yuffie looked at the card. She recognized it as one of those little cartoon characters that she used to like as well. She heard about cards like these. A collector's item. She looked at him in surprise and he grinned.  
  
"For friendship, and stuff."  
  
Yuffie smiled as she handed him the bag. "There's another extra thirty thousand gil. For Rude and Elena, it's probably way less than what you get paid, but that's all I have."  
  
"Thought Lady Kisaragi would have more money than this."  
  
"Well, most of my inheritance I've spent in rebuilding Wutai. I don't mind, what belongs to me belongs to the people."  
  
Reno nodded as he dropped the bag inside. "I guess I'll be going."  
  
Yuffie fidgeted. "So what happens now?"  
  
The Turk shrugged. "It's up to you, sugar." He replied and looked at her. "What do you want to happen?"  
  
"I'm not really sure. I want something to happen," She admitted softly and tried to stop her heart from beating wildly. Reno sighed as he walked closer to her.  
  
"I'm a Turk, I live half-way from where you are, and I was never the one-woman type of guy."  
  
Yuffie nodded. "I know, I just don't know what I want..." She replied, still looking at him. "I just know that I want to know you more."  
  
Reno nodded. "I can live with that."  
  
Yuffie brightened a little as she offered her hand. Reno grasped it lightly and they shook hands. "For friendship."  
  
"No commitments attached." Reno released her hand and sat inside the car. "If you don't know what you want sugar, then you'll probably change your mind soon." He closed the door and placed his shades over his eyes. He started the engine before looking at her.  
  
"I'm not gonna promise you anything, sugar. Don't expect anything from me."  
  
"I don't. Hey, aren't you going to check the money?"  
  
"Nah, don't need to." Reno replied as he shifted gears. "I trust you."  
  
With that, Miguel Reno, also known as Reno Mikagi stepped on the gas, and drove away.  
  
Yuffie watched as the car roared from a distance and grinned. This was better than what she expected, she was afraid that he was just going to laugh, but he accepted her friendship. Until she can figure out what she really wanted, besides another kiss... she was content with his friendship.  
  
After all, great things had to start somewhere, right?   
  
She whistled a happy tune as she walked back to the palace. /I trust you./  
  
It looked like it was going to rain, and Yuffie didn't know why, but the day seemed brighter than ever.  
  
Unknown to her, there was a more dangerous storm brewing not so far from where she was. In another part of Wutai, there was another sinister plot that was being planned.   
  
"I told you they were incompetent!"  
  
"It's in the past. What matters now is the future. Any similar attempt is out of the question. We have lost the element of surprise. We need that."  
  
"What do you propose we do?"  
  
"It's all or nothing. How long can we gather the bombs?"  
  
"Three weeks, at least. We can make it faster."  
  
"Do it. We will burn Wutai to the ground until she bows to me. Their army is not enough, even AVALANCHE can not protect them from long-range missile attacks..."  
  
"Are you sure that's what you want?"  
  
"More than anything. Proceed with the plan. I want Wutai off the map as soon as possible."  
  
The two men sneered as they agreed on their plans. "As you wish, Mr. Kitani."  
  
*-*-  
  
Three days went by, and there was no sign of anything out of place. Lady Yuffie Kisaragi smiled at the sun. It was another beautiful day. She slowly made her way to the orphanage for her weekly visit when one of the caretakers rushed to her.   
  
"What, what is it? Is there anything wrong?"  
  
Hiromi just smiled. "None at all, Lady Kisaragi. But you must see this!"  
  
The two of them walked faster, and Yuffie cursed the official dress that she had to wear. She actually liked it, but it was times like this that she wished for her old uniform.  
They reached the orphanage and she looked in surprise at the many gifts that was on the ground. All of the children looked at each of the gifts eagerly, pointing at what belonged to them.  
  
"I saw it this morning when I woke up. All the children have their own gifts, each gift actually has a name!" The older woman exclaimed. "I also found a hundred thousand gil!"  
  
Yuffie's eyes grew wide in shock. "How much?"  
  
Hiromi was beaming. "A hundred thousand gil. That means we have enough for their schooling..." She trailed off as the two women started screaming in excitement. Yuffie felt a tug on her skirt and was surprised to see Yume, one of the orphans handing a small box to her.   
  
"Your name's on it." The girl said shyly and Yuffie thanked the girl as she accepted the box. The girl ran away and resumed in looking at the gifts.   
  
Yuffie looked at the box in wonder, her name was written in neat, yet thin strokes. She opened the box and she could only stare at the gift inside. She blushed as she took it out of the box and showed it to Hiromi. It was a magic eight ball.  
  
Yuffie's smile grew wider. She knew exactly what to give Reno.  
  
END...  
  
Awwww, come on! I know there's a whole lot of things that are left hanging in the air, but that's what sequels are for, ne? ^__^  
  
I just wanted Playing With Fire to sort of show the start of Reno and Yuffie's relationship...  
And establish the villain. If you didn't like Alec now, wait till you see him in the sequel!   
So, I'm going to let him live, for a while!  
  
Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who commented on this fic. This wouldn't have been done if it weren't for all of you, Hooray to all Reffie lovers! 


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